The Tale of Terraria
by DarkX the Dragon Knight
Summary: Zia is the daughter of two famed adventurers. She has been training her whole life for the day she could go out and face the challenges Terraria has to offer. But with ruthless monsters and the looming threat of the Corruption, she'll have to rely on more than just strength to survive and protect her loved ones. In the land of Terraria, anything is possible...for better or worse.
1. Prologue

**A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH- OI! Two years in the roleplaying industry will give you such a crick in the neck (I don't care if that doesn't make sense I wanted to make a reference)!** **Anyways, hello! I'm X, and I'll be your writer for this journey! This isn't my first story, no...but it's been some time, certainly. I feel like I've still got some writing talent in me, but I'm sure the reviews will tell me if I've messed up some stuff! ...If I get any, that is.**

 **So, Terraria. It's a great game, and I've become rather obsessed with it in the past few months. How obsessed? Obsessed enough to come up with a story based on it! I've noticed the Terraria fanfiction on this site is rather...small. Which stinks, because I have seen some good ones! I doubt this one will get any recognition, but hey. The fandom could use some more stories, and I'm here to provide! Especially considering this story's been in my head for a while now, so I've pretty much thought of all or most aspects of the plot.**

 **To the normal Terraria fan who's reading this, this story is going to adhere pretty closely to the 'plot' and lore of the game, with a few liberties and some of my own interpretations thrown in for storytelling purposes. To the reader who knows little to nothing about Terraria, you probably won't care, and just want to read the story. Well, here you go! Let the adventure begin!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

The sun crawled its way over the hill-lined horizon, illuminating the morning sky with a dull blue. Its light shone on the towering trees of the forest, allowing them to cast their shadows on a lonely house atop a flat hill. It was made from a reddish wood, rich mahogany, and its roof made from a pyramid of gray bricks. Several square patches of wall were made from glass to act as windows.

Out of the house's front door came a man with deep blue, spiky hair and bright green eyes. He was donned from the chest down in a strange purple armor, and he made his way to a treeless spot several feet in front of the house. There, several tiny saplings were poking out of the ground, some of them different shapes than others.

"Mmph- the daybloom still isn't growing yet..." the man muttered to himself, kneeling down to look at the plants with a frown. "Maybe Zena can take a look at them when she's done in the house."

As he stood up, the man picked up on the sound of rustling grass nearby. Believing it to be a Slime, he put a hand over his weapon and pulled out a short, blue-violet sword. Once again, he heard something quickly move across some kind of foliage close by...but it sounded like regular footsteps, not a Slime's bouncing body. The sound was quickly followed by what sounded like...childish giggling?

Immediately, the man calmed, and a look of amusement crossed his figures. He put away the sword, then said rather loudly, "Well! Nothing seems out of the ordinary here, so I'd might as well be heading back inside!"

With that, he began to casually walk back to the house, making sure to keep his ears open. Sure enough, he heard movement heading towards a large rock near the house. He walked on, making sure he was close enough...then quickly moved over to the rock and looked over it, letting out a triumphant, "Aha- uh?"

The man quickly furrowed his brow in confusion upon seeing nobody behind the rock. With a 'hmph', he turned around...and found himself being tackled by a seemingly invisible force. As he was tackled, for a second he could see a little girl with her black hair pulled into a pair of pigtails.

"Ah! What have we here?" he said, looking down at where his 'attacker' should be, only to find nobody there anymore. Despite that, he could feel a weight clinging to his legs, and he heard a young girl's laughter, followed by, "I scared you! Didn't I?"

"Hah, you did! But, ah...?" the man replied, before tilting his head a little. "Zia, are you...invisible? How did that happen?"

"I drank one of Mommy's potions!" 'Zia' replied, presumably looking up at her father.

"Yes, that's right," a woman replied, walking over to the two. She had thick black hair pulled into a long braid being her, hazel eyes, and wore a robe the color of emeralds. Smiling in amusement, she added, "But fortunately, the effects should be wearing off in three...two...one."

Right on cue, the potion's magic wore off, and the child was fully visible again. She had green eyes like her father and black hair like her mother, as well as being dressed in a light blue shirt and gray shorts. "Aw, that couldn't have been two minutes!"

"I'm afraid it was, hun," her father replied, patting Zia on the head before glancing at his wife, Zena. "Although, I'm not sure why your mother decided to let you do a taste test on her creations."

"Oh, she got into my potions on her own," Zena replied, waving him off dismissively. "Besides, the Invisibility Potion is completely harmless, I figured I'd let Zia have a little fun with it for a little bit."

"I was like a ninja!" Zia said, immediately jumping up in some kind of karate pose. "Ooh! Or a ghost!"

"Well, even ninjas and, believe it or not, ghosts need to eat," the man replied. "I'm assuming breakfast is done, so what's say we take a break and eat?"

With that, the trio made their way back to the house, before Zia noticed something out of the corner of her eye- another man was making his way towards the house. He had bushy, strawberry blonde hair that seemed to extend over his forehead somewhat, with dull brown eyes. His shirt was a dull light gray, his pants were light blue, and his shoes were gray- but most importantly, he had on his green cap that he seemed to love most.

Zia immediately recognized this man and happily ran over to greet him. "Andrew!"

"Ah, good morning to you too, Zia," Andrew replied, ruffling the little girl's hair with a smile before turning to her parents. "Dax! Zena! Greetings!"

"Good to see you too, Andrew!" Dax greeted the man as he and Zena walked over to him. "You don't usually show up so early in the morning- but luckily for you, we were just about to have breakfast. Care to join us?"

"Well, I'd like that- but first and foremost, there's a reason I came so early," Andrew replied. "I came with a message from my father."

"Jeffrey? What does he need so early?" Zena asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is it so urgent that we have to put off the most important meal of the day?"

"Well, perhaps not," Andrew replied. "But still, it was important. He said he found something in the underground jungle- something you two have been searching for?"

"Really?" Dax asked, perking up with interest. "Well, if it's what I think it is, then it's about time! Zena, should go right a-"

"Calm down," Zena sternly told her husband. "I'm sure Jeffrey can wait until _after_ we've all eaten."

"Er- while I'd normally agree with you Zena, you know Father doesn't like to wait too long, especially under circumstances like this," Andrew said, rubbing the back of his head with a frown. "He really wants you two at the jungle, pronto."

"Oh, that's just like him- too stern to realize us adventurers have lives too," Zena sighed, but nodded in acceptance. "Very well, we'll meet him there."

Dax seemed more eager, already pulling a spiked helmet made of purple metal out and putting it on. Zia, on the other hand, seemed rather disappointed. "You have to go already? But you didn't even eat yet, and you can't waste food!"

"You make a good point my girl- which is why you and Andrew will eat. With us gone, that means more for you two!" Dax replied, kneeling to his daughter's level with a reassuring smile. "Just make sure to save some for me and your mother- I'm sure we'll be mighty tired and hungry when we get home!"

Zia immediately perked up, nodding. Zena walked over, now donned in a blue and red spiked helmet similar to Dax's and carrying a grayish-green staff resembling a vine. "Are you ready?"

Dax nodded, standing up. Zena turned to Andrew and said, "We'll be back by nightfall- _please_ keep an eye on Zia try to keep the place clean while we're gone."

"Of course," Andrew replied, nodding politely.

"You be sure to behave, okay?" Zena said to Zia, giving her a quick kiss on her forehead. "When me and Daddy get back, we'll tell you all about our adventure."

"Okay!" Zia eagerly replied before her mother turned to head out.

"Try not to burn down the place while we're gone!" Dax called out with a hearty laugh as he followed his wife in the direction of the jungle.

Once the two adventures had gone, Andrew turned to Zia and said, "Alright, Zia- let's go enjoy that food, shall we?"

Zia nodded and followed Andrew into the house like a loyal puppy. She could only imagine what kind of story her parents would tell her when they got home- they always had great stories whenever they returned from their excursions. Maybe they'd even show her some treasure they found! Her excitement was boundless, it overshadowed any sadness she may have felt about them leaving- after all, they went off on adventures all the time, she was almost used to it.

Not to mention...some day, she'd be able to go on her own exciting adventures. Maybe even with her parents! She didn't know when exactly, but whenever it was, she couldn't wait. After all, this was the land of Terraria- and as Andrew always said, anything was possible here!

* * *

 _One month later..._

The moon shone at its highest point in the sky, marking the midnight hour. Andrew moved through the halls of the house, groggily rubbing tiredness out of his eyes. He looked all over the rooms of the house, from the bedrooms to the main room, looking for a certain someone.

Eventually, he did find Zia- she was sitting outside, on a tree stump several feet from the front door. She was looking down at the grass shadowed by the night.

"Zia," Andrew said, walking over. "What are doing? You should be in bed..."

"...I couldn't sleep..." the child replied flatly, not looking up.

"..." Andrew sighed, sitting down in front of her. "Were you thinking about your parents?"

She nodded. "I-I had a bad dream...about what happened to them..."

Zia finally looked up at Andrew, her eyes full of dismay. "M-Mommy and Daddy are adventurers! They've fought a bunch of monsters before! They're supposed to be invincible!"

The man frowned sympathetically, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I know how you feel- remember, I lost my daddy too."

Zia sniffled, and for a second Andrew was afraid she might start crying again. She didn't, however, but asked in a voice cracking with sorrow, "Why'd this happen? Why didn't they come home?"

Andrew shook his head. "Zia...there are some mobsters out there that, without proper preparation, are too powerful for even your parents to defeat. I'm sorry you had to figure that out the hard way..."

The young girl looked down again, then said, "Mommy and Daddy promised...they promised that, when they came home, they'd start teaching me to be an adventurer...we were gonna start tomorrow...and they always keep their promises!"

"Well...I wouldn't worry about that," Andrew assured Zia. "You remember what I am, right? And what my father was?"

Zia nodded. According to Andrew, he and his family were all 'Guides', people who help adventurers find their way through Terraria and gave them advice on what to do. Jeffrey had been her father's Guide, which was how Dax met his son, Andrew, in the first place.

"Well...when you were really little, your parents and I decided that I should be involved in your training," Andrew explained. "And...if something were to happen to the both of them, I was to be put in charge of your training."

"Really...?" Zia asked, looking up a bit in surprise.

Andrew nodded. "And that's not all. In the event Dax and Zena were to...be lost...I am to be the one to look after you."

"Look after me?" Zia asked again, confused.

The Guide nodded. "Basically like a godfather."

"So...you're gonna be my daddy now?" the girl asked, looking up at him.

"That's right. Now, come on, let's get you back to bed. We'll start your training tomorrow, just like your parents promised," Andrew said, standing and holding out his hand to Zia.

"..." The girl took his hand and hopped off the stump. "I still wish Mommy and Daddy could help train me..."

"I know...I know you're really upset," Andrew said. "But you're not alone here. No matter what, your family and mine are watching you from wherever they are."

"They are?" Zia asked, immediately looking around.

"You won't actually be able to see them- just know that they're there," Andrew explained with a little smile. "And don't forget- I'll be with you the whole way. I may not be Dax or Zena, but from now on, I'll be your father."

* * *

 **A/N: Hehe...I forgot how long it takes to write chapters...but man, was it satisfying to finish!**

 **Welp, there you have it! Our main character's origin story! Yeah, based on the Terraria stories I've seen, I haven't really seen any that have given their character a solid backstory, which IS NOT a bad thing (and if there is a story that does gives a backstory, I probably missed it, my bad!). But, I decided to try and be unique and give my character one. Now that that's done, we can get on to the _actual_ story! Which will begin next chapter! Stay tuned!**


	2. Home, Sweet Home

**A/N: Welcome back! This is the** ** _real_** **first chapter of the story, now that all the origin stuff is out of the way** **. I don't really know what else to say here, sooo...yeah, enjoy.**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _Imagination is king:_** **You know, this review is only three very small words long, but it still gives me a nice sense of validation. TwT**

 ** _Night-Waker:_ THANKS.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Home, Sweet Home**

 _10 Years Later..._

An afternoon wind blew across the hills, gently rustling the grass as it went. The area was mostly flat, with only a couple of short, wide lumps- like flattened hills. Several trees stood like pillars against the wind, ever sturdy. It was a perfect little area for someone to live, maybe build a house...

That was exactly what two people came here to do. One of them, a girl with black hair pulled into a short ponytail, ran ahead of her companion. She came to a stop at a spot that wasn't too populated with trees- there were even a few sunflowers bunched together nearby. She turned to where she had come from and called out, "Hey, Andrew! Is this a good enough spot?"

Andrew the Guide walked over, his hair having gained several gray strands over the years- but at least his hat still looked like new. He surveyed the area, before responding, "Well, it's nice and flat, so not much landscaping will have to be done, and there are a good amount of trees...yes, this area will do nicely. Good work, Zia."

"Thanks!" Zia replied with a smile. "...Now will you tell me why we came all the way out here?"

"Well, because you're going to build a house," Andrew explained, wandering over to the sunflowers. "It'll be night soon, so we'll need a shelter if we want to survive."

"Got it, I'll- wait, you're not gonna help?" Zia asked, frowning.

"Zia, it's just one house, nothing too complex- you can handle that," Andrew said to her, crossing his arms. "Besides, I'm getting too old for construction work."

"48 really isn't _that_ old," Zia stated as she fumbled around for her axe.

"Oh, I'm flattered," Andrew replied, putting a hand over his heart for a moment. "Now go gather wood."

The girl nodded and, after finding her Copper Axe, walked off to one of the taller trees. She wasted no time swinging the axe at the stump of the tree- Andrew had told her that she'd need to clear out the stump anyways, so it was recommended that she take that part out rather than some other part of the tree, thereby saving time. The tree itself took several strikes from the axe before it finally fell, and acorns and pieces of wood came raining down. Zia knew Copper Axes weren't the most efficient of tree topplers, but this one in particular seemed pretty weak. Oh well, she'd have to make do.

The girl remembered to plant an acorn in the spot she had felled the tree- you never know when you'd need more wood, so it was good to keep a supply close by your home. Zia repeated the process- chop the stump, grab the wood, plant an acorn- for several more trees. It was mind-numbing work, but by the end of it Zia had more than enough wood to build a house. She walked over to the spot Andrew had approved earlier, pulling out some wood. After a few moments of thought, she had an idea for a _perfect_ home.

The house itself was a rectangle, eight by fifteen to be exact. She remembered to make a Work Bench, so that way she could make walls (and she needed _a lot_ of them) and a pair of doors, one for each side of the rectangle house. Once that was done, she made a table and a pair of chairs, putting them towards the center of the room.

Zia then crafted several wood platforms and took out a portion of the ceiling, replacing it with platforms. She put more platforms along the wall in a diagonal path, then made a Wood Hammer and made those platforms into stairs. Finally, she created another rectangle on top of the first one, the same size as that one, and added more walls. As a result the house now had a second floor.

Once all the construction was done, Zia sat down in a chair with a relieved sigh. She heard one of the doors open, and Andrew poked his head in. "I take it that the fact you're relaxing in the chair that you're done?"

"Yup! I put in all the important house stuff and even made a whole second floor!" Zia replied, nodding confidently. "You know, for more space."

"Very good," Andrew replied with a nod...then furrowed his brow. "...Zia, did you put in a light source?"

At first, Zia brushed off his question...before jumping up out of her seat. "Oh man, I knew I forgot something!"

"Lucky for you, I thought I saw some some Slimes over there," Andrew said, gesturing to the door he entered in.

"Got it thanks!" Zia quickly said, running out the door with her Copper Shortsword out.

Once outside, the girl scanned the area for any sign of monsters...before spotting something. Two round blobs of green ooze were hopping their way towards her. Narrowing her eyes, Zia ran at the Green Slimes and thrust the short blade into the closest one. The Slime was knocked back, but not dead, allowing the other Green Slime to jump onto Zia. She grunted from the hit, jumping back, then retaliated with another jab. This strike seemed to do more damage and threw this Slime back as well. The first Green Slime came back for another jump at Zia, but was quickly dispatched by her blade. The second Slime soon met a similar fate.

 _Yes! My first kills out here!_ Zia thought triumphantly as she collected the coins and Gel the Slimes had dropped. She had three pieces of Gel- more than enough for Torches. As she made her way back to the house, she added the flammable ooze to some wood and made a total of nine Torches.

"I got light!" Zia announced as she reentered the house, going to put them down somewhere.

"Good, put those up and come sit down," Andrew instructed her. "It'll be night soon. Plus, I found some mushrooms, so...we've got dinner!"

The girl nodded, before going to put up three Torches on each floor, deciding to save the other three for another time. She then sat at the other end of the table from Andrew.

"Sooo- you like the house?" Zia asked him.

"Yes, you did a fine job," the Guide replied with a reassuring nod. "It was good thinking, making a second floor. That will definitely come in handy in the long run."

"Thanks, Andrew," Zia replied with a smile. "So...now that we have a house..."

"Yes...?" Andrew began, motioning for her to go on.

"Well- we've got shelter, and we're all the way out here..." Zia continued. "I think it's finally time for me to go out on an adventure."

Andrew blinked in surprise. "You want to go out on an excursion?"

"Yes!" Zia insisted. "Andrew, I'm 16. You've shown me how to use, like, every kind of weapon!"

"Well, I mean, I didn't get to go exploring until I was 18, so..." Andrew stated, shrugging. "Look, I know you're eager to go out and see things, but some of the creatures out there extremely volatile."

"C'mon, isn't this what you've been training me for these past few years?" Zia asked, her eyes pleading. "How can I get better equipment to survive if I can't even go out and look?"

"Well...you do make a good point," Andrew mused...before saying, "Well, there is a small pit that leads to a cave I saw earlier. Perhaps that would be a good place to start?"

"Alright!" Zia said, standing. "I'll go out there, and I'll-"

"Hold on there, speedster," Andrew said, holding up a hand as a gesture for her to stop. "It's nearly dark, and it's dangerous to go out at night. You can wait until morning, I'm sure."

"Well...I guess," Zia replied. "...Can I at least go out and kill some Zombies? They'll be clawing at our door all night otherwise."

"Well, I could certainly sleep better without the sound of the undead outside," Andrew said with a little chuckle. "Fine. Just make sure you don't wander too far. Also, watch out for Demon Eyes- your shortsword isn't very suited for flying enemies."

"I'll be careful," Zia assured the Guide with a nod. "Besides, I'll just use my axe or pickaxe if something tries to fly at me."

"Good thinking," Andrew replied.

With that, Zia opened up the door and headed out into the night.

* * *

The moon was already visible over the horizon, the sky having gone from it's bright blue to a deep indigo, speckled with stars. Zia walked west, past the spot where she had chopped down all those trees earlier that day. Most of the saplings had already grown into short trees, but some of them remained little sprouts. Perhaps, with time, they too would grow.

 _Okay, you rotted losers...where are you?_ the girl thought to herself as she surveyed the area for any signs of monsters. Sure, the sunflowers around the area had this effect on monsters that kept them away, but they weren't _that_ repellent, were they?

 _Well, looks like I'm gonna have to go farther..._ Zia thought as she kept walking. She came to a hill with a few trees growing on top, and near the top she saw a pair of humanoid figures lumbering towards her. _Aha! There you are!_

Zombies- two of them, kind of short. They had the trademark pale green skin and red eyes that the undead usually had, as well as patches of skin rotting off and tattered brown clothing. One of the zombies had its entire brain exposed at the top of its head, making it look bald. The other had normal, disheveled black hair. Both had their arms out, as though hoping to grab at the living being before them.

"Yeah, well- it's time to die a second time!" Zia shouted at them, drawing her sword. _My god, that sounded_ way _cooler in my head..._

Shaking her head, she ran at the Zombies and jabbed at them with the copper blade. To her, Zombies were easier to deal with than Slimes, in a way, because all they did was walk at her. She rarely had to worry about jumping, so all she had to do was just keep stabbing and let the monsters walk right into the attack.

Eventually, the two Zombies were dead on the ground, allowing Zia to continue her trek. Once she passed the hill, she came across another Zombie, this one with a blob of blue slime enveloping its entire head. Once Zia slayed that one, she made sure to take the Gel off its body, since she'd like to make more Torches and there didn't seem to be any Slimes out tonight.

Eventually, Zia came to large opening in the ground, too large to jump over. It seemed to open up to a large pit, with a few weak vines hanging from the overhanging ledge. There didn't appear to be any kind of cave entrance, but it would certainly be a long and painful drop. The girl frowned and said to herself, "I really ought to put a bridge there or something- maybe when I have more wood or dirt, I'll do it."

Nodding, she turned to head back to the house...only to be met with yet another Zombie shuffling towards her. This one was different, however, in that it was carrying something. It appeared to be an...arm, one from a Zombie. Not one of its own arms, no- it just carried some other Zombie's arm for some reason. Zia decided against thinking about it too much and charged at the monster. She was a bit slow on the attack, however, allowing the Zombie to swing the arm at her, striking her in the side.

"Ah!" Zia yelped as she was struck, getting knocked back a bit. _"Wow,_ that thing is stronger than it looks. Fine, if you want to play it like that, then _here!"_

With a shout, the girl jumped up and jabbed the Zombie in the chest before it could attack again. The monster swung the arm once more, but this time Zia jumped out of its reach and went in for two more stabs. These two blows killed the monster, and it dropped the Zombie Arm on the ground as it died. Immediately, Zia went and picked up the item, examining it. _Weird...this thing is stronger than it looks...can I use this as a weapon? Looks like it could make a good broadsword, if I could._

"Heh- thanks for the new weapon, buddy!" Zia said cheerfully to the Zombie's disintegrating body before walking off. "So, now all I gotta do is get home and-"

She was interrupted when a shadow passed over her. Then a second one. She looked up to see where the shadows came from...then froze. _Oh no._

A pair of flying eyeballs were circling her, their blue irises visible in the moonlight. One had thick red threads of tissue trailing behind it as it flew, while the other had yellowish-green threads. These were none other than Demon Eyes- and Zia hated them. They bounced around, never stopped moving, and could get flung back pretty far, making follow-up attacks hard.

Instinctively, she reached for her Copper Pickaxe or Axe...but stopped. _Wait, I have that Zombie Arm! Can I fight with it...? Well, time to find out._

Zia pulled out the arm and waited for the two Eyes to get close. The moment they were near enough, the girl swung the Zombie Arm at them. The creatures were knocked back hard and, while they weren't dead, seemed to have taken quite a bit of damage. They flew at her again, but Zia was ready. The red Demon Eye only needed one more hit from the weapon to die, but the green Eye needed two. Soon, though, the two were dead. Zia picked up the coins they had dropped, as well as a Lens one of them had left before, then proceeded home.

 _Zombie Arm, as of right now, you are my new favorite weapon._ Zia thought cheerfully.

* * *

By the time she made it home, Andrew had already fallen asleep on one of the chairs. Zia was a little disappointed, as she had hoped to show him the Zombie Arm. Deciding to show him tomorrow, Zia lied down on the floor (she thought sleeping in those chairs was too uncomfortable, and wondered how Andrew could do it so easily) to sleep.

...However, she had a hard time falling asleep. Zia couldn't keep thought out of her mind that tomorrow, _tomorrow,_ would be the day of her very first solo adventure! It seemed almost too good to be true. At last, she could start doing what her parents did so well...could she become even better? No, no, let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, Zia dreamed of what she'd see in that cavern, what treasures she'd find, what monsters she'd fight...

The girl was so excited, she almost didn't even sleep that night.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's that! A chapter full of house building, Slime slaying, and night hunting! ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?**

 **Anyways, while it may seem pretty weird, Zombie Arms actually are pretty good weapons to get early on. They do good damage compared to the Copper stuff you start out with, even though their range could be better. Also, just like Zia hates Demon Eyes, I too detest those things for all the times they killed me when I first started Terraria. CURSE YOU, SHORTSWORDS!**

 **Now, don't fret if you found this chapter boring. Next chapter is where the real fun begins! Join us next time for Zia's first spelunking trip! Yaaaaay!**


	3. First Adventure

**A/N: Ta-da! New chapter, up and ready for your reading pleasure! In this chapter, we get to the good part of Terraria, arguably- exploration! Here's hoping Zia doesn't fail horribly!**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Not sure if Walkers are quite as susceptible to their own arms over there, but good point! As for Gel...its tooltip (item description) says that it is "Both tasty and flammable", therefore slime in Terraria is actually flammable. Not to mention, Gel is ammo for an item called the _Flamethrower,_ so...**

 **Also, how kind of you to worry about Zia's health! Although making a bed in Terraria is a bit more convoluted than it is in, say, Minecraft, so...**

 ** _NexusXV:_ AAAAAAH THANK YOU.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: First Adventure**

That morning, as Andrew led Zia to the entrance to the cave, rain began to fall. It obscured the sun, making it seem like it was still night, or at least dusk. Not to mention, the occasional Flying Fish, thin blue fish with little wings, would come and try to hinder them. Luckily, with the Zombie Arm (to which Andrew had said, "Maybe not the kind of weapon I would have chosen, but whatever works for you."), Zia was able to kill them easily.

It wasn't long before two made it to the pit that led to the cave. The pit was lined hanging vines clinging to the ceiling. Andrew turned to Zia and said, "Now, I'm not sure how deep this goes, but remember- the deeper you go, the stronger the enemies you'll face."

"I know, don't worry," Zia assured him. "I'll try not to go too far down."

"Also, remember to smash any pots you find- they contain all sorts of useful supplies," Andrew added.

"Again, I know," Zia replied, nodding, turning to go into the cave-

"And watch out for traps! Those boulders can kill instantly!" Andrew warned her.

"I _know-_ I paid attention during training!" Zia reminded the Guide. "I know what to look for, don't worry."

"As your Guide, it's my job to give you advice on how not to die," Andrew pointed out. "And as your surrogate father, it's my job to worry."

Zia smiled at him. "Once again, I know. But come on, I'm going to be fine. I'm no pushover!"

"Right, right," Andrew replied, nodding with a chuckle. "Just remember to be cautious."

"I will," Zia replied, before turning away and heading into the cave.

* * *

The initial tunnels of the cave went in almost a 'Z' shape, Zia finding herself needing cut through many vines to navigate- it was amazing how easily the Zombie Arm cut through the vegetation. The girl also made sure to place down whatever torches she had to light the way down.

"Now, if only I could find some kind of..." Zia began, looking around...before spotting a dull brown Chest lying on a ledge below her. "Chest! That was quick!"

She was quick to run over to it and open the lid. _There's probably gold in here! Lots of it! Maybe some kind of legendary weapon in there, too! Or maybe it's-_

Zia quickly noticed none of that was in there. Instead, she found about a dozen Torches, three Potions (of the Lesser Healing variety), a bunch of Rope (over 50 pieces), and a few Silver Coins.

"...Okay, so no gold or weapons..." Zia muttered to herself as she pocketed the items. "But...at least there's money! And I needed more Torches anyways!"

With that, she proceeded deeper into the cave. Eventually, the floor became sprinkled with stone patches. At least now, the cave wasn't so zig-zagged. Zia kept a Torch in her hand to light the way- so far, the walls, made of dirt clumps, were as brown and dusty as the ground. Oddly enough, there was no sign of any enemies...maybe this cave just wasn't big enough for any-

"WAH!" Zia cried as the ground seemed to disappear beneath her. She plummeted a few feet before finding herself submerged in cool, blue water. To add insult to injury, her Torch didn't work underwater, so she was nearly blinded. _Well, that's just great...I like this shirt, too!_

After feeling around and holding her breath for a few seconds, Zia managed to find a spot where she could pull herself up. She grabbed the ledge and pulled her head above the water, taking a deep breath. "Okay...now, where are those Tor- ach!"

Something bounced off the top of her head, knocking the girl back into the water. With a growl, Zia pulled herself up again. _What the hell was-_

Suddenly, something else bounced off her head in a nearly identical fashion, knocking her into the water yet again. Fuming, she pulled herself back up and placed a Torch on the ground to see what had hit her. Two Slimes were sitting on the ground a few feet in front of her- one red, one yellow. They were jiggling in place, which meant they were about to jump again...or they were 'laughing' at her. Judging by the fact that they remained stationary, it was likely the latter.

Well, no matter- after getting out of the water and several swings of her Zombie Arm later, Zia now had enough Gel to make more Torches as well as more Coins. The girl, still slightly wet, continued onwards through the caves. Besides the occasional Red Slimes, Zia didn't face much opposition. Soon, her Torch caught something on the wall- it was metallic, and a reddish-orange color.

 _Hey, copper!_ Zia thought happily to herself, immediately pulling out her Copper Pickaxe. _I was kinda hoping for iron, but whatever!_

Whistling cheerfully to herself, she began to mine at the large deposit of Copper Ore. It was actually rather relaxing- the sound of the pickaxe on minerals, the quiet of the caves, the light from the torches, and no monsters to disrupt her...

 _...Hey, who's digging?_ Zia thought to herself as she stopped mining. Sure enough, there was a faint sound of something burrowing through the dirt. Whatever it was, it sounded rather large...but the girl shrugged it off. _It's probably, like, a mole or something. Or a gopher...those are animals that live underground, right?_

But when she was about to mine the last of the copper...something actually emerged from the dirt above her. With a shout, Zia was knocked back as the monster's body bashed into hers. Based on what she was able to see before it vanished into the dirt, the creature was long and had a dull red coloring- like a giant worm.

"Come on! Just let me get my ore!" Zia shouted at where the monster had gone, pulling out her Zombie Arm. Moments later, the Giant Worm emerged from the ground, flying at Zia in an arc. The girl ducked and swung her weapon at the monster as it passed over her. Although it did a good amount of damage, the worm still wasn't down for the count, and it disappeared into the ground once more.

Frowning, Zia went silent and listened closely, trying to pinpoint the Giant Worm's location. After a few seconds, she heard burrowing again...right beneath her. And it was getting closer. With a yelp, she jumped out of the way just as the Giant Worm burst out of the ground, its protruding fangs glistening in the Torches' light. As it turned to lash out at Zia, the girl swung the Zombie Arm at its head. This turned out to be the killing blow, as the worm collapsed into a heap on the ground, dead.

"...Okay, ew..." Zia muttered, grimacing as she walked around the body to finish mining the ore. By the end of it, she had 27 pieces of Copper Ore. She forgot how many Copper Bars that would get her, but she could always just ask Andrew when she got back. Satisfied with her find, she continued down the cavern, looking around for any more ore. Eventually, she came to another opening, but this one was rather huge.

Zia looked over the ledge at the long drop below, grimacing. _Good thing I've got these Torches...I probably would have missed this huge drop otherwise._

Looking up a bit, she noticed what appeared to be some kind of...house, supported high above the bottom of the chamber by several wooden beams. Zia was also quick to notice ore a little bit above the house- not just Copper, but Iron. The girl grinned in anticipation, then looked to see the distance between her perch and the house. It wasn't too far, but not far enough for her to just jump. She tried to see if she had anything that could help her cross...

Then, she got an idea. She took out the Rope she found earlier- in all, 75 pieces. She was able to tie ten pieces together at a time, creating a total of seven Rope Coils, which she could throw at the house's side. Taking careful aim, she threw one Rope Coil just below the house's door. She threw another Rope Coil at that same spot, increasing the length of the first rope. She threw one more coil, just to be safe.

 _Okay, now I just gotta jump!_ Zia thought, stepping back to take a running start. _...Although...if I miss this jump...I don't think I'm gonna bounce._

Taking a deep breath, she took one more step back...then sprinted towards the opening. With a shout that was half determined, half terrified, she launched herself over the gap...and managed to grab on to the rope before she could fall to her possible death. Sighing in relief, Zia thought, _OH THANK GOD I LIVED._

The girl climbed up the rope and opened the door to the underground house- being greeted by a face full of Cobwebs. "Ahh, blech! It's in my nose!"

She instinctively used her Zombie Arm to cut through the webs- in all, about eighteen. The house was rectangular, and had two floors- the top one being slightly smaller than the bottom. She noticed the walls had several holes in them, allowing her to peek out to the outside if she wanted to. The bottom floor wasn't looking much better, but she noticed a Chandelier above her- a Platinum one, at that. Zia figured it would make a good decoration for the house, so she used her Pickaxe to grab it (don't ask how she was able to fit it into her pockets).

Zia was also quick to notice another Chest. Not just any Chest, either- a Golden one. The girl let out a happy gasp and said to herself, "Yeah! Now we're gonna get some good stuff!"

She ran over and looked into the box's contests. Inside, what she noticed first was a pair of black, flat items fitted for shoes- Shoe Spikes. Zia wasted no time putting those on before checking the rest of the items. Seven Iron Bars, eleven Bombs, a thin blue Potion (which the girl recognized as a Gills Potion), ten Torches, and two light blue Potions in an oddly shaped bottle- a Recall Potion. She could definitely use that to get home.

After looting the Chest, Zia found a spot on the ceiling made of Platforms, which she went through to get to the aforementioned Copper and Iron Ore. After a couple minutes of mining, no Giant Worms interrupting her this time, the girl found herself with 29 pieces of Iron Ore and 20 pieces of Copper.

 _Well, I think I did pretty good today!_ Zia thought to herself with a smile. _At the very least, I think I can make an Iron Anvil, which is pretty important. Alright, I'll head home now._

With that, she took out one of her Recall Potions, chugged it down, and was teleported out of the caves.

* * *

"Well Zia, in my expert opinion, I'd say your first adventure was quite the success," Andrew remarked, looking up at the Platinum Chandelier lighting up the room.

"Hehe, you said it!" Zia replied from her seat. With the amount of Copper Bars she had crafted with the new Furnace, she only had enough to make a Copper Helmet- however, finding more Copper Ore would be easy enough. Not to mention, she had been able to use the Iron Ore to make an Anvil, and some Chains to make a Sawmill. She then used that to make a Loom to make Silk from the Cobwebs, to finally make a Bed. Zia didn't know why the Bed-crafting process was so long, Andrew just told her to accept it.

"Well, I'm sure you're more than tired after such a long day," Andrew began. "Think it's time to get some sleep?"

"Definitely- I wanna test out that new Bed!" Zia replied. "But...in the morning, I was thinking..."

"About what?" Andrew asked, leaning forward a bit.

"I want to go back to that cave," Zia replied. "I want to go deeper."

Andrew's eyes widened. "Deeper? Already? Zia, there are dangerous enemies deep down there, and your current equipment simply won't do!"

"But look at what I found towards the surface! Imagine what could be down there in, say, the Caverns! I could find Granite or something!" Zia insisted. "C'mon, I don't want to wait until I've found a bunch of Ore to make better armor, I can live without it!"

"..." Andrew sighed, shaking his head. "You've got your father's impatience, you know that?"

"So?" Zia asked, frowning.

"So, you may have been successful today, but you're far from invincible," Andrew told her. "Don't let arrogance be your downfall."

"Man, when did you start talking like a fortune cookie...?" Zia muttered to herself, before sighing and standing. "Alright, I'm gonna go to bed."

"Good idea," Andrew replied, nodding. "Now, don't worry about me- I'll be fine on the chair. But, if you do manage to find some material for another Bed at some point, then by all means give me that one."

"It's a promise," Zia replied with a nod of certainty before heading upstairs. "Night."

"Goodnight," Andrew replied, already reclining in the chair.

* * *

Several hours later, in the very morning, while Andrew was still very much asleep...Zia was sneaking out. She had all the equipment she thought she'd need, including the Spike Shoes, Lesser Healing Potions, and Rope.

 _I know Andrew told me to wait before I go deeper into the caves, and I'm probably going to get into a lot of trouble for this..._ Zia thought to herself. _But when I come back with all sorts of treasure, he'll be so proud!_

Once she had all her supplies ready, the girl made her way down the stairs as carefully as possible to avoid waking up Andrew. She then slowly opened up the door, then made her way out towards the cave.

* * *

 **A/N: Well look who's trying to be a teenage rebel. This can only end well, wouldn't you agree? Next time, we'll get a look at the deeper levels of Terraria's underground, and meet some of the banes of new, naive players' existences...and I'm not just talking about traps. What's gonna happen? Stay tuned to find out next time!**


	4. Going Deeper

**A/N: Welcome back! We've got ourselves a double update! It seems this story is becoming rather popular! ...And by that I mean this story has only 10 views to its name. But! That means 10 people decided this story was worth clicking on! So, to those 10 people, thank you! :D Now, on with the story!**

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Don't worry about it, I'll try not to make the story _too_ confusing for those who haven't played it! And for the record, all the stuff Zia took with her was stuff she found on her first expedition, so it's not _technically_ stealing. But once again, it's nice of you to care! :3**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Going Deeper**

After collecting more Wood and Gel to make more Torches, and using whatever Wood she had left to make a Wooden Bow with Wooden Arrows, Zia returned to the cave she had explored yesterday. It wasn't hard for her to find her way back to the underground house, especially since the Torches she had left the day before were still there, lighting the way. As for enemies, aside from the Red and Yellow Slimes (and another Giant Worm), Zia didn't have much trouble getting back to where she had left off.

Once back at the underground house, Zia used a few more Rope Coils to make a longer rope down to the bottom of the chamber, or at least close enough to where she wouldn't get hurt by falling. She jumped over the gap and grabbed onto the rope like she did yesterday with a grunt, before quickly making her way down. She landed on the dirt floor, feeling water around her ankles. Looking down, she noticed water around her- not deep water, so she was able to make her way to the right where another tunnel seemed to be.

 _Okay, you're in unfamiliar territory now, Zia..._ she thought to herself as she looked around the area. _Keep an eye out for anything dangerous...anything at all-_

Zia felt her foot step on something beneath her. After a short click, the girl felt something small and sharp fly into her side. Immediately, she would feel very, very sick. With a pained yelp, she fell back a bit and looked down. "W-What the...?"

She pulled out the object with a grimace and sat down to rest. After a quick examination, Zia recognized the item as a dart- a poison one, at that. Frowning, she thought to herself, _So, I just triggered my first trap...I don't know whether to feel proud or embarrassed._

Once she was sure the poison was gone, Zia drank a Lesser Healing Potion. While that certainly healed her, the girl would feel a strong sickness in her stomach- she'd probably need to wait a bit before drinking another Potion. Hopefully, she wouldn't need to heal again any time before that. Zia then took out her Pickaxe and took out the Pressure Plate she had stepped on before- that way, she wouldn't be able to trigger the trap again. With that done, she continued onwards.

The tunnel opened up into another chamber, but this one was taller and somewhat skinnier than the last one. A rather deep body of water filled the area at the bottom, and a Blue Jellyfish was swimming inside it. Higher up, Zia noticed some kind of opening atop the stone.

"Well, I don't think I've got enough Rope..." she mused to herself. "Heh, good thing I found these Shoe Spikes!"

She was able to jump over the water to the other side of the chamber, then jumped onto the wall. She wouldn't immediately fall off of it, but rather slowly slid down it. This allowed Zia to jump off the side of the wall, then quickly reattach herself before she fell too far. After all the jumping and sticking, the girl finally made it to the top of the chamber. Grinning, Zia said to herself, "Yeah! Climbing is awes-"

Something struck her from behind she could finish. Grunting, the girl muttered, "Maybe I should save my gloating for after I make sure there are no monsters around..."

Pulling out the Zombie Arm, Zia looked around for what had attacked her. She heard an angry squeak and movement above her. The girl recognized the tiny blue creature as a Cave Bat, and she was quick to swing her weapon at it once it got close enough. The Cave Bat was knocked back quite a bit, but flew at Zia once again moments later. One more hit from the Zombie Arm, however, was all it took to finish it off.

Nodding, Zia took the Coins it dropped and continued on. There were also a few Pots around her, which she smashed open. Inside, she found a few Copper Coins and Rope pieces, and even a dozen Shurikens. The girl walked on, taking notice that there was a whole separate chamber on the other side of the thick wall. Utilizing her Shoe Spikes, Zia slid down the wall and onto the bottom of the cave- luckily, there was no water at the bottom.

Towards the other end of the chamber, some ore glistened in the light created by the torch. It was partially Iron, part something else- something that gleamed in a silvery color. Zia's eyes widened- was that Silver Ore? The girl thought to herself, _Awesome! Looks like this trip is finally looking up!_

Grinning, Zia took out her Pickaxe and approached the ore...only to see three figures jump down from an opening above the minerals and begin to make their way towards her. The girl quickly stepped back, taking out a Torch to light the area a bit more. The figures had no flesh, just bones, wore ragged clothing, and had red eyes. One of then had a sword sticking out of its skull, and the other had its skull on backwards. Zia had never seen then up close, but based on what Andrew had told her, these were Skeletons.

Fortunately, while they were likely stronger, she remembered that Skeletons behaved a lot like Zombies. With that in mind, Zia was quick to rush at the Skeleton trio and whack them with her Zombie Arm. It didn't seem to do too much damage, but it knocked them back well enough for Zia to deliver a follow-up attack. Again, it didn't kill the Skeletons, but they were likely on their last legs. With a quick "Hah!", Zia swung the Arm one last time at the monsters, finally killing them.

With a little sigh, she glanced down at the Zombie Arm. _I know it's just an arm and I'm probably gonna find a better weapon soon enough, but dangit I'm keeping this beautiful thing for as long as I can!_

Zia made her way to the Iron and Silver Ore, picking away at them. She was half-expecting to be interrupted again by a Giant Worm or something like that. Luckily, no such thing attacked. What did happen, however, was Zia hearing some strange noise. It sounded almost like a...croaking, like from a frog. She looked around as she finished gathering the last of the ore. "What was that...?"

Frowning, but choosing to ignore the sound, Zia climbed up the wall to the opening the Skeletons had come from. After counting out the Ore, she found she had 15 Iron Ore pieces and 24 Silver Ore pieces. Satisfied, she decided to head down the cave to see if there was anything else of interest. She found herself looking out at a huge opening- the chamber seemed very long, Zia's Torches couldn't light up the whole place. However, she did take notice of the Underground Cabin high above the floor of the cavern, close enough for Zia to jump and latch onto with her Spike Shoes.

Thus, she did just that- she stuck to the wall of the house and slid down it, opening the door so that she could get in. Just before she closed the door, however, Zia heard that sound again...and it sounded close. Whipping out a Torch, she poked it and her head out of the doorway to see the source of the noise. Once again, however, she didn't see it. With a short growl, she closed the door and put a Torch up to light the place. "Seriously, what _is_ that...?"

Zia looked around the house. Several Pots, which she smashed, were scattered about the room. She ended up with some more Shurikens, some Coins, and even another Recall Potion. She then went over to the other side of the room, where a Golden Chest was sitting and waiting to be opened. Zia was more than happy to oblige- in the Chest, she found Silver Coins, 5 Iron Bars, 7 Silver Bars, 10 Lesser Healing Potions, and some small bright green sticks- Glowsticks.

Pocketing the loot, Zia decided to check out the upper floor. _Should I be heading home after this...? Um...I'll see what's up here, then I'll decide._

As she ascended the stairs, she heard that mysterious croaking sound again. Zia, frustrated with the noise, yelled out, "Ugh! Seriously, what is-"

Suddenly something splatted against her arm. Zia cried out, at the substance was surprisingly painful. Not only that, but she could feel herself being poisoned again. She quickly took out a Torch...and froze. "W-What the...?"

Zia had found the source of the croaking. It was a tall creature, with stubby legs bit long thin arms. It had a sleek body, which was mostly gray with a light gray belly and red and gray frills on the back of its head. A pair of dull red, bulbous eyes were attached to a froglike head, and the monster was slowly making its way towards her.

"Ah-!? What are you!?" Zia cried, whipping out her Zombie Arm. She was quick to slam it into the creature's side...but that didn't seem to do much of anything. The monster then rammed into her, knocking her back. Growling, she then took out the Wooden Bow she had made earlier and fired several Arrows at the monster. The amphibian creature just seemed to shrug those off as well as it fired more spit at Zia.

"Ah! No!" Zia cried as she jumped out of the way of the spit, going through the Wooden Platforms that led to the roof of the house. She frantically looked around for some way to get away. _I can't defeat that thing...I can't just jump down, I don't know if there's water to break my fall...and I don't think I have enough Rope...oh god, am I trapped!?_

Then, she saw something on the side of the house- some rails, and an abandoned minecart sitting at start. The rails seemed to descend diagonally into the rest of the cave...but it was too dark to make out exactly where she'd end up.

Zia grimaced. _Oh man...should I risk it...? What if-_

With another croak, the gray monster climbed through the platforms and was turning to face Zia. With a yelp, she decided to stop thinking and just threw herself into the minecart. The force of the girl propelling herself into it was enough to make the cart move forward...then it careened down the tracks, leaving behind the monster.

Zia screamed as the cart flew down the tracks like some kind of roller coaster. One hand held a Torch, another was keeping her Copper Helmet on her head. Eventually, the track leveled off with the ground, but it was still going full speed. A few Skeletons appeared on the tracks to try and pick a fight...and were subsequently run over by the minecart.

Zia laughed, her earlier fear seemingly gone. "HAH! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR STANDING ON MINE TRACKS YOU BONY-"

Suddenly, the cart came to an abrupt stop, causing Zia to get thrown out of the vehicle. She felt herself falling several feet before landing flat on her back on a stony surface. "...Idiots...! Ow..."

She dragged herself to her feet to see where she was. It appeared that the track had ended just before a wide hole, which Zia had been thrown down, and it opened up to some kind of cave. A cave that was made entirely out of a clean, white stone.

 _Wait...is this a Marble Cave?_ Zia thought. _Awesome! With these blocks, I could make some great furniture or something! This is great!_

Forgetting her near-death experience, the girl proceeded to start mining out some Marble. Once she had enough of that, she planned to use a Recall Potion to get home- seemed like a good plan. As she picked at the stone, she almost missed the sound of footsteps approaching her from the darkness. Luckily, she did end up hearing something, and immediately stood up. "Huh...? Is something over there...?"

Zia took a few steps forward to investigate...then, something flew out of the darkness towards her, and pierced her in the stomach.

"A-Ah...!?" Zia choked out, the shock of what had just happened rendering her unable to scream. She managed to look down and see what had hit her- a long, golden Javelin.

Zia wasted no time grabbing a Lesser Healing Potion and downing it, almost completely healing the wound. Unfortunately, she now had to wait to drink another healing item...in the meantime, however, she hurled a Glowstick into the cave to see what had attacked her...

What she saw was a pair of Skeletons, their red eyes unmistakable. They wore golden armor resembling that of a gladiator, and both were carrying Javelins. Zia was quick to pull out her Bow and shoot at the monsters, but it was futile. Their armor protected from such weak projectiles, and they proceeded to prepare to throw more Javelins at Zia.

With a terrified shout, the girl to run away (because there was no way she'd be charging at those things with nothing but a Zombie Arm). The armored Skeletons gave chase and hurled their weapons at her. Zia barely dodged the first one, but the other one struck her right in the shoulder. She shrieked in pain, as those Javelins were surprisingly very painful.

Zia jumped down a ledge just as two more Javelins flew at her, grimacing and clutching her shoulder as she landed and ran. Unfortunately, this gave the Skeletons a better vantage point to attack. And attack they did- one Javelin just barely missed Zia's other arm...but the other one struck her right in the back. With another cry of pain, she collapsed onto the ground with a _thud._ Zia, gasping from the pain, tried to drag herself to her feet. _C'mon...you need to keep moving...you'll die of you don't...!_

Trudging forward, her vision going black, Zia noticed the cave seemed to narrow. At first, she thought this meant an opening to escape...but quickly realized this meant the opposite. It was a dead end. Zia's eyes widened in disbelief as she moved forward a bit. "N-No...you've gotta be kidding me...!"

With a short whoosh, another Javelin flew and struck her in the back again, this time more towards the abdomen. With a gurgled gasp, Zia was knocked to the ground. She tried to get up, but the pain was too much. She tried to reach to for a Potion, but she still felt sick to her stomach, and was too weak to really grab anything anyways.

 _It's no use...everything's going black...I can't even move..._ Zia thought as the sound of the armored Skeletons' footsteps approached. _Oh god...I'm going to die, aren't I?_

Just as Zia lost consciousness, she heard a man's battle shout and something striking the Skeletons, followed by the monsters' dying cries.

* * *

When Zia opened her eyes again, she wasn't in a cave. Rather, she was back home, in her Bed, staring up at the ceiling. Confused, she tried to sit up- and found that she could actually move again. Her Copper Helmet had been placed on the floor next to the bed, since she didn't have a dresser or anything. She groaned, rubbing her head- although her injuries had evidently healed, she still felt very sore.

"Zia!"

The girl yelped at the sudden noise...only to see Andrew poking his head up from the stairs. "I heard the floorboards creaking, so I figured you were awake."

"Andrew...? How long was I out?" Zia asked as the Guide fully entered the room.

"A few hours," Andrew replied. "It was probably afternoon when I first got you back here, now it's nearly dusk..."

"You got me back here?" Zia asked, her eyes widening. "How'd you know where I went...?"

"Zia. I've known you your whole life, and _raised_ you since you were six. I _know_ how you are," Andrew replied, crossing his arms. "After our talk last night, I thought you might disobey and try to explore that cave more thoroughly anyways. When I saw you weren't here this morning, I had a good feeling of where you had gone. From there I followed the Torches, Ropes...and eventual pained screaming."

Zia grimaced. "...Andrew, I'm really-"

"Not now," Andrew said, holding up a hand. "We'll talk about this after you've rested. You're still sore, I'm sure."

"...Maybe..." Zia muttered.

"Uh-huh," Andrew replied. "Now, rest. Please."

With that, the Guide walked back downstairs, leaving Zia to keep resting. The girl looked down for a few moments, before sighing and lying back down, just staring up at the ceiling. "..."

* * *

 **A/N: Let this be a lesson to you all- if you're a new Terraria player (as in, you've got 100 HP or so), you're in a Marble Cave, and you see a Hoplite...RUN. JUST EFFING RUN. Salamanders are also kinda dangerous, so beware! But! Now we can start a new thing here! The "Zia Near-Death Counter"!**

 **Zia Near-Death Counter: 2 (Salamander, Hoplites)**

 **And just wait until next chapter...things are gonna get REALLY crazy! :D I can't wait to write it, and I can't wait for you all to read it! So get excited!**


	5. Night of Blood

**A/N: Oooooh-hoh-hoh-hoh, welcome back! Today, I'm about to implement a plot thing that I had planned to have happen during the early days of this story's planning...and it's gonna be good, so get ready! Also, this chapter's kinda longer than usual, so...**

 **Now, last time we left off, Zia almost died horribly! Twice! And we also saw why Guide Dad is best dad...although, truth be told...I forgot to put in some dialogue between the two that would have explained some stuff. Don't worry, I'll be sure to fix that this chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Nice to see I can always rely on you for a review, pal! **

**Now, as for your review: Now that I think about it, Cave Bats actually do look a lot like Zubats...huh. And yeah, Zombie Arms are good for the early game, but they quickly become obsolete when it comes to stronger enemies. And! In Zia's defense! Hoplites are very dangerous enemies for all players which is why it's recommended to avoid them at first! SO HAH!**

 ** _NexusXV:_ Normal, because Expert mode would be a _nightmare_ for Zia. Those Hoplites would have killed her for sure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Night of Blood**

It was late dusk by the time Zia was well enough to leave bed. She would have gone through what she had retrieved from the cave, maybe smelt some Ore too. However, that was the furthest thing from her mind at the time. She exited the house and looked around for Andrew. She spotted him to the left of the house, over by a patch of tall Sunflowers. Zia started to walk towards him, and it seemed Andrew heard her, glancing at the girl silently. "..."

When most parents caught their kids doing something really bad, said kids usually got yelled at, grounded, an 'I'm so disappointed in you' or 'you should know better' line or two from the parents. If the parents are really hardcore, younger children might get spanked. Andrew, however, wasn't like most parents. He didn't do the traditional yelling or anything like that...and somehow, that was even worse. It was just this distant look he gave- even at sixteen, it gave Zia a strong sense of guilt and shame- like when she had accidentally set a table on fire, or smashed a vase, or killed a stray Bunny. Zia had developed a name for this look: 'coldly disappointed'.

She walked up to stand next to him. "...Nice flowers."

"Yes- although their look is simple, there's still a kind of beauty to it," Andrew added, turning back to the tall flowers.

"..." Zia grimaced. She had rehearsed her apology to Andrew for the past _hour,_ yet now found herself completely tongue-tied. _Come on, just apologize! It's not rocket science!_

Andrew, however, was the one who broke the silence. "How are you feeling? I mean, it seems you're fine enough to walk, but..."

"I'm alright," Zia assured him with a nod. "Like, I'm not even sore or anything now."

"Well, that's good to hear," Andrew replied.

"..." Zia shifted a bit. "...Um- Andrew? In the Marble Cave, how were you able to get past the...uh..."

"Hoplites," Andrew stated.

"Yeah, those guys," Zia said. "I used a Wooden Bow of my own against them, but it didn't work too well because of their armor..."

"Their faces weren't armored," Andrew replied simply. "And as for how I got us home...I had to use two of your Recall Potions, sorry. I made sure you drank the first one- which was a little difficult because you were unconscious- before I drank one myself. You might want to use that last one you have wisely."

"I've only got one left...?" Zia asked herself, before shaking her head. "Er, yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for telling me."

Andrew nodded, then looked up at the sky. "It'll be night soon- we ought to head inside."

Zia nodded. Already, she could see the moon poking over the grassy horizon in the distance...but there was something off about it. Its color was different...the moon was a deep, crimson red, like blood. Clearly, Andrew noticed it too, as his eyes widened in fear. "Uh-oh...come on, we have to get inside, _now."_

The girl nodded and quickly followed the Guide inside. Though she rarely ever saw it, she new a red moon could only mean one thing...

The Blood Moon was rising.

The two of them quickly used the two chairs to block the doors. Andrew said, "Okay, that should be enough of a barrier. Zombies won't be able to open the doors with these in the way."

Zia nodded, leaning against the wall. "Man, what is it about Blood Moons that makes monsters so crazy? And strong? And everywhere?"

"Who knows- maybe all the red acts as a kind of stimuli?" Andrew theorized, shrugging. "Regardless, we'd best stay in here tonight..."

Zia nodded in agreement. _You know, while you're all holed up in here during a miniature Zombie apocalypse, why don't you go ahead and say that apology you were gonna say earlier?_

She opened her mouth to speak, but immediately stopped herself. Andrew took notice and asked, "Zia? Something wrong?"

"Uh...well, you see, I..." Zia began, but was interrupted by some vicious banging on the left door. "...Um."

"Don't worry- these simple barricades should be enough to keep out the Zombies," Andrew assured her. "Now, what did you want to say?"

"That, I...um..." Zia began, only to hear more banging. The chair itself was jittering badly from the force of all the knocking, and it seemed rather loose. _Maybe...Maybe I can fix that. Yeah! If I clear out all those Zombies, or at least make sure not so many of them are clawing at our door at once, that'll definitely make up for what I did!_

"I'll clear out all those Zombies," Zia told him, already putting on her Copper Helmet. "There are too many of them for Doors and Chairs to handle. I'll go out and dwindle the numbers a bit."

"Wha-!? Zia, no!" Andrew immediately replied. "This is a Blood Moon, there are too many Zombies and other monsters for one person to handle!"

"I'm not gonna go far, I'm just going to clear the area a bit!" Zia explained, heading for the left door already.

"Have you lost your mind!?" Andrew demanded, his eyes wide. "There are more than just Zombies and Demon Eyes out there, the Blood Moon causes more dangerous creatures to appear!"

"I'll careful and quick about it! You don't have to worry!" Zia insisted, moving the chair out of the way. "Just, ah...think of this as my punishment for going deeper into the caves without your permission!"

"Wha-!? Zia! Hold on a moment!" Andrew cried as Zia opened the door. "Get back in here! _Zia!"_

Ignoring the Guide's warnings, Zia ran out of the house, making sure to close the door behind her.

* * *

Zia didn't immediately notice any monsters...until growling was heard ahead of her. A grand total of four Zombies were trudging towards her, one of which carried an Arm. Deciding two could play at that game, Zia charged at the oncoming horde. She took out her Wooden Bow and fired several Arrows. They managed to fall two of the Zombies, while the other two kept going. Lucky, they went down after a few hits from the Zombie Arm.

Next up, came a trio of Demon Eyes- a normal one, a purple one, and one with a dilated pupil. Grinning, Zia raised the Zombie Arm and, once the three got close, batted the creatures away like they were baseballs. Two of the Demon Eyes flew towards her front, while the other few around to strike from behind. Zia ran at the two at her front, knocking them out of the air with a downward swing of her weapon. As for the one behind her, she spun around on her heel and whacked the Demon Eye away, killing it.

Zia sighed in relief...then noticed more Zombies coming down the hill more west. _Uh...well...I guess I can't let them get too close to the house...I'd better take those guys out now before they have a chance._

She ran towards the hill, her Bow at the ready. She noticed two of the Zombies looked odd- they looked like they were covered in blood, had large yellow eyes, and a mouth full of fangs. Zia took no mind of this, however, and fired several Arrows at the Blood Zombie. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do much of anything. Growling, Zia fired more arrows, stepping back to avoid the Zombie horde. Still, the two Blood Zombies took most of the hits, not seeming hindered at all.

"C'mon, just die already!" Zia shouted, swinging her Zombie Arm at one of the Blood Zombies. However, the monster actually caught the weapon...in its mouth. It then ripped the Zombie Arm out of her grasp and proceeded to _swallow_ it. Staring at her now empty hand and then the Blood Zombie in shock, Zia was quick to grab her Copper Shortsword and stab the Zombie. It did next to nothing against it.

"...Uuuh...so! I guess this is the part where I run away in terror!" Zia said to the Zombie group...before doing just that. "AAAH!"

The Zombies gave chase...but luckily, they were slow. The girl looked back to see that they were far behind her- good, that meant she could get back to the house more easily. She turned around to keep running...then, something slammed into her, knocking her into the ground. "Gah! Wha-!?"

Something was slowly floating towards her- it appeared to be a dripping sphere of blood, with several small, round eyes poking out of its body. Zia scrambled to her feet- this thing was blocking her path, she'd need to kill it if she wanted to make it back. Since this monster was flying, Zia figured her Shortsword would be useless, so she took out her Pickaxe and swung it downwards. It only slightly knocked back the dripping monster...but her Pickaxe was now stuck in the monster's sticky, dripping body.

"Oh come on! I need that!" Zia cried, frantically shaking the weapon to dislodge it. She heard growling behind her- the Zombies were catching up to her. With a shout, Zia swung the Pickaxe downwards, and took the monster with it. It hit the ground with a sickening splat, and the girl proceeded to wrench the weapon out of its body. Once it was freed, she proceeded to jump over the grounded monster before it could move again and ran for home.

The problems didn't end, however. Two more Zombies blocked her path- a Blood Zombie, and another Zombie variant that was bald and had deep black eyes, which she recognized as a 'Swamp' Zombie. Zia did a double-take, about to turn around and run- only to remember she had four Zombies, two of which were Blood Zombies, and that floating blood monster pursuing her. Deciding to take the path of least resistance, Zia ran at the pair of Zombies in her path to the house.

However, her Shortsword did little against either opponent, not even the Swamp Zombie. Zia kept going, growing desperate with every step the monsters took towards her. Panicked, she thought, _Die! DIE! WHY IS THIS THING SO WEAK!?_

Zia then realized the monsters were taking extra damage...from something else entirely. Several hits from this other source later, the two Zombies were dead...and their backs were full of arrows. Zia immediately realized who had attacked them. "Andrew?"

The Guide yelled out, "Zia! You've got Shurikens! Use them against those monsters behind you!"

With a little gasp, Zia realized she had completely forgotten her Shurikens. Nodding, she turned around and hurled the spinning weapons at the Zombies. The weapon pierced through several enemies as Andrew lashed out with his arrows. Eventually, the Zombies and the floating monster were dead.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Zia turned to Andrew. "Uh- thanks for that..."

Andrew didn't look so relieved. "Have you lost your mind!? Going out to fight all these monsters during a Blood Moon, of all times? And this talk about 'punishment for going deeper into the caves'? Zia! What were you thinking!?"

"I-I wasn't trying to get myself killed!" Zia replied. "I'm just trying to make up for disobeying you and almost dying because of that!"

Andrew went silent, as though waiting for Zia to continue. "..."

Zia sighed. "Andrew, I'm really sorry. I should have listened to your warnings about going down there, but I...I don't know. I guess I just wanted to prove to you, and maybe a little bit myself, that I could hold my own against strong opponents. ...Guess I'm too weak for that right now, huh?"

"Well, I wouldn't say 'weak'," Andrew replied. "With the right equipment, you could very easily survive in the caverns. But you get in over your head, and you don't realize that until you're about to eaten. Or impaled."

"I guess...impatient, just like my dad, huh?" Zia asked.

"All adventurers are like that at some point," Andrew admitted. "The thrill of the unknown calls to them, and they feel invincible. It's hard, at first, to find balance between your sense of caution and your lust for exploration."

Andrew then leaned in a bit, adding, "In fact, shocking as it may be, I was once very much impatient myself."

"Wha- _you?"_ Zia asked, bewildered.

"Did you think I _wanted_ to wait until I was 18 to go exploring for the first time?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "I was a teenager once too, you know."

"Y-Yeah, but you're, like, the _embodiment_ of caution," Zia insisted, her eyes still wide with shock.

"Well, people get wiser as they get older," Andrew replied, putting a hand on Zia's shoulder with a little smile. "Someday, you might even be as smart as me!"

"Well, I don't think I'll be an encyclopedia..." Zia replied with a chuckle. She was relieved- the storm had passed, it seemed. Then, the two were interrupted when several Demon Eyes swooped down on the duo, causing them to immediately duck.

"...Maybe we should keep talking about this inside," Zia said.

"Most certainly," Andrew agreed, the two of them standing. They immediately headed for the house...only to notice that the door was shaking a bit.

"Uh...Andrew...?" Zia began. "Why is the door shaking...?"

Andrew looked just as confused. "I...can't say."

Soon, they got their answer. The door swung open, and Zombies began to swarm out. Not just three or four, but _a lot_ of Zombies, including Blood Zombies. And they were all heading right for Andrew and Zia.

"What!? How did they get in!?" Andrew yelped, his eyes wide. "There was a chair in front of the door! They shouldn't have been able to get through that!"

"W-Well, there are a lot of them...maybe they forced it open together?" Zia suggested, grimacing. "E-Either way...I don't think I have enough Shurikens or Arrows for all those guys...!"

"I myself am running low..." Andrew muttered, stepping back a bit. "Zia? Do you know what this means?"

"Run away in terror?" Zia asked.

"Precisely," Andrew replied...before the two of them turned and fled.

The Zombie group gave chase, growling in anger. Occasionally, Andrew would turn to shoot Arrows at the Zombies, but the Blood Zombies absorbed most of the hits. When they went over the hill, they saw a few more regular Zombies coming at them, which Zia and Andrew quickly dispatched with their Bows. They ran down the hill, and believed they were in the clear...when suddenly found themselves staring down at the pit Zia had seen the night before.

"Okay, that's not good..." Andrew said, staring at the large gap.

"Ah- I knew I should have covered that hole when I had the chance!" Zia cried, panicked. "What now!? We're trapped!"

"Calm down! Let's see..." Andrew rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe, if you put down some Rope, we could both-"

Growling interrupted them. Turning around, the two of them realized the Zombie horde had caught up with them. While Zombies may be slow walkers...they were great jumpers- and they had jumped their way up the side of the way and were now making their way towards them.

"Okay! Forget the Rope!" Andrew said quickly. "If we go down into the hole, they'll just follow us down and we'll be done for...and we don't have time to make a bridge from chopping down a tree..."

"Ooh, god, they're getting closer!" Zia cried. "We don't have enough of anything to fight them, and my Copper weapons are too weak!"

"I know! Just..." Andrew began, rubbing his head...then stopped. "Wait. Zia! You still have that Recall Potion!"

"Huh-!? O-Oh! Yeah!" Zia replied, pulling out the cyan Potion in question.

"Okay- Zia, listen," Andrew began, trying to remain calm. "Drink that Potion, get home, take out the Doors and replace them with Wood blocks. There's no way the monsters can break through walls!"

Zia nodded...then stopped. "Wait a second, I've only got one Recall Potion."

"That's okay," Andrew insisted. "You just need to go."

"W-Wait! Andrew, I'm not just gonna leave you here!" Zia replied, her eyes wide. "You won't be able to fight them off alone!"

"I'll be fine!" Andrew replied, his face a combination of frustration and panicked. "Please, Zia, drink the Recall Potion!"

"But if I leave you here, you'll die!" Zia cried. _"Please,_ there's gotta be another way!"

"There's no time to argue!" Andrew yelled. Sure enough, the Zombies were close- soon, they'd be overtaken. The Guide grasped Zia's shoulders and said, "Zia! If you stay, you'll die too! I promised your parents that I'd keep you safe, and I intend to do just that. Now _drink that Potion!"_

Zia opened her mouth to argue again, to try and find another way out of the situation...but realized it was no use. The Zombies were about to attack, and it was clear Andrew had made up his mind. Fighting back tears, the girl nodded and chugged down the Potion. In a flash of blue light, she was teleported away from the pit's edge and found herself back in the bedroom.

"Take out the doors...replace with Wood," Zia muttered to herself as she immediately ran downstairs. "Take out the doors, replace with wood."

She used her Pickaxe to remove the two Doors, then quickly filled the gaps with three Wood blocks each before any monsters could get in.

 _What if Andrew needs to get in? There are no Doors now..._ Zia thought to herself fearfully, then shook her head. _No, if he needs to get in, I'll hear him. I just...gotta have faith in him. It's Andrew, after all, he'll...he'll be fine. He'll be fine._

As the sound of Zombies clawing at the wall where the Doors used to be grew louder, Zia trudged upstairs to the Bed. Despite the fact that it was near midnight, and Zia certainly felt tired...she didn't sleep. She couldn't sleep. She stayed on the Bed, tossing and turning, waiting and praying for the bloody night to end.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, Zia picked open a gap in the wall to see if morning had come. Sure enough, the sun was up, signifying early morning. The monsters were all gone, as well as any trace of them. With a short gasp, she immediately opened the gap more so she could get out of the house.

"ANDREW!" Zia yelled out to the Guide. "ANDREW! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

When she got no response, she ran as quickly as she could to the pit where she had last seen Andrew, calling out his name the whole way. She'd check any spot that looked like a place he could have hidden for the night, if he managed to get away from the Zombie horde. By the time she made it to the pit, however, she had found nothing.

"ANDREW!" Zia yelled, desperation crawling into her voice. Once again, no response. She looked down into the pit, feeling sick with dread. If Andrew wasn't out here...then that left only one place left.

Zia looked down into the hole, frantically looking around for anything that looked like a person. "Andrew!? Can you hear me!?"

Nothing. Grimacing, she immediately placed some Rope to help her get into the pit safely. She landed on a small ledge, using a Torch to light up the place a bit. "Andrew?"

She jumped down a bit...before noticing something towards the bottom of the pit. It appeared to be some kind of lump, maybe a branch or log...but when Zia got closer, she realized what- or who- it was.

Immediately, the color drained from Zia's face. "Oh no... _Andrew!"_

She practically teleported over to the man, who was lying on his back. His Green Cap had fallen off his head and was resting on the ledge below him. Zia approached Andrew, believing him to be unconscious...but froze when she got close. Andrew's neck and the majority of his shirt were covered in blood. His throat appeared to have been slashed, most likely by a Zombie's claws, and left a pool of blood on the dirt ledge he was lying on. His eyes were slightly open, but they were as lifeless as Andrew himself.

Zia slowly approached the motionless Guide. Her hands were shaking, and she felt sick to her stomach. _No...no, no, this isn't happening, th-this can't be- this isn't. This...this is just a bad dream. Y-Yeah! Any minute now, I'm going to wake up, the night will be over, and Andrew...Andrew will be okay!_

She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. She was still in the pit. Zia repeated this action. Andrew was still motionless.

Zia's eyes began to sting. "No...no...no!"

She dropped to her knees, grasping at Andrew's bloodied shirt. "Andrew! Come on, y-you've gotta get up! I-I'll get you back to the house, I'll patch you up, you'll be fine! Just get up, breathe, move, just do _something!"_

Andrew remained as still as stone. Now, the tears were running full force down Zia's face as she fought to stay calm.

"I'll fix the house! I'll read more! I won't blow off your advice or do anything that will obviously get me killed! I'll learn patience, I'll get strong! Just _please,_ WAKE UP!" Zia cried, her voice tinged with despair. Sniffling, she gave one last soft, pleading, "Please...?"

The Guide still said nothing. Zia squeezed her eyes shut again, letting out little choked sobs as she realized the truth. Andrew was dead.

 _...I did this..._ Zia thought to herself, opening her eyes and looking up a bit. _I ignored Andrew and went out during a Blood Moon. Andrew went out to help me, so he couldn't stop the Zombies from getting into the house. He went out to help me...and that's why he got cornered by those monsters. I brought him out here...to die...!_

As the reality of the situation set in, combined with her thoughts...Zia couldn't take it. Her soft crying turned into one loud, agonized wail.

* * *

 **A/N: FEELS TRAIN, PULLING INTO THE STATION, CHOO-CHOO! And while we're here, let's add another number to the counter!**

 **Zia Near-Death** **Cou** **nter: 3 (Blood Moon stuff)**

 **Sooo...yeah. Andrew's effing dead. Blood Moons are jerks in the early game. :/ Although, I feel like people are gonna point out stuff in the reviews, so let me talk about it for you! First, I know Blood Moons only happen when the player character is at least 120 HP, and Zia would only be at 100 HP. Second, I know Zombies can't actually _force_ open doors during Blood Moons- a Chair will be more than enough to stop them. But, I said in the beginning that I would take a few liberties when writing this for the sake of storytelling. This is one of those times. But it's very minor stuff, so don't get your pants in a twist!**

 **Now, next time...the aftermath! What will Zia do now that her father figure is dead? Find out...NEXT CHAPTER!**


	6. Brett

**A/N: Welcome back! Isn't it a beautiful thing that this story has _almost_ 3** **0 views? Man, that's like...like...0.0000000000000005% of Earth's population! WHOOOOO THIS AMOUNTS TO SOMETHING YAY.**

 **So, last time we met, we learned the dangers of going out during a Blood Moon, and our girl Zia is now, how do you say, 'heavily depressed and traumatized'! Don't you just love angst!? Let's see where this goes! Just so you know, I had a bit of trouble writing this one, so apologies in advance if it's not as good as the others.**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Dude! Do you _want_ Zia to meet the same fate as Andrew!? But yeah, R.I.P. Zombie Arm.**

 ** _NexusXV:_ I agree, that Boss loot would certainly come in handy. However, I don't think it would do Zia much good if she's dead. Also...do you _really_ think she's concerned about equipment or loot in these circumstances?**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Brett**

After a bit of inner debate, Zia decided she'd give Andrew a proper burial. After all, she wasn't about to leave the man who raised her to be picked apart by bugs and animals at the bottom of a hole! However, it was rather difficult to get Andrew's body out of the pit, since the man was taller than she was. With the use of Ropes and whatever Wood Platforms she had, though, she was able to make it work.

Although getting Andrew back to the house wasn't so easy, especially going up the hill, eventually Zia was able to return home safely. Once she did, the girl was able to build a makeshift coffin out of Wood, which she put Andrew's body into. She then dug a hole big enough for the 'coffin' to fit into, then proceeded to bury the box once it was in. Lastly, Zia made a makeshift grave marker out of a pair of wood pieces tied together in the shape of a cross. She even managed to put writing on it:

 _Andrew_

 _A teacher, a_ _second father_

 _A friend_

Zia looked around at the spot Andrew was buried in. It was in the patch of Sunflowers near the house- she new the man liked that spot, if there was any place he'd want to be buried, it would be there. She looked down at her hands to see the item she was holding- Andrew's beloved Green Cap. She considered burying him in it...but realized that this hat was basically all she had left of the Guide. So, Zia figured she'd keep it...although she felt kind of bad about it.

"..." Zia gave the grave one last look before slowly making her way back to the house. When she reentered, she just stood in the doorway for a few moments, just...staring at the room. She decided a bit of work might distract her for a bit. She put back the two Doors, and returned the Chairs to their normal spot. She then went upstairs and smelled the Ore she had found yesterday. However, she wasn't feeling up to counting it all.

It had to be the afternoon by the time Zia finished. She sank into one of the Chairs, seeming to relax...only to notice the other Chair, completely empty. Immediately, the girl's mood fell, and she looked around the room. The house definitely looked normal now, everything fixed up from last night...it was as if nothing had even happened. However, the deep silence of the room was enough to remind Zia otherwise...it was almost suffocating. She suddenly felt very tired. Taking off her Copper Helmet (she had completely forgotten she was wearing it) and setting it on the table, Zia trudged upstairs.

She collapsed onto the mattress, trying to sleep. One might think that an absence of noise would _help_ someone fall asleep. Zia, however, found it distracting...it just felt _wrong,_ having nothing but her own breathing to listen to. And the girl felt this was her fault...Andrew was gone, she had no idea what to do next...Zia was all alone out here. She felt her throat ache again, her gut wrenching...but no tears fell. It seemed her eyes had run dry hours ago. However, she did find something to help her fall asleep- an aching heart and thoughts full of guilt, doubt, and confusion.

* * *

 _Thud-thud-thud-thu_ _d_

Zia was jolted out of her sleep by the sound of something banging against the door downstairs. A fearful look crossed her face, believing Zombies were trying to get in again. Then she realized how stupid that was- it probably wasn't even night, and she wasn't unlucky enough to face a Blood Moon two nights in a row. Still, though, what could be knocking...?

 _Thud-thud-thud-thud_ "Hellooooo? I know this place is probably abandoned and I can tell that door is unlocked, but I'm being a courteous traveler by knocking anyways!"

Zia's eyes widened. That was no Zombie- that was a person! She had no idea there were other people in this part of Terraria, nor why that person was here...but still, an actual person! Zia immediately got up and ran downstairs as the person knocked yet again. She opened the door, first noticing that it was no longer afternoon- in fact, it was early morning again. It seemed she had slept all day and night- understandable, considering her earlier lack of slumber.

"Oh, hey! So there is someone living here!" greeted the man. "Good thing I knocked, huh?"

Zia was taken aback for a moment...because the man looked just like Andrew. Same strawberry blonde hair, same hairstyle, same dull brown eyes, even the clothing seemed similar! For a second, Zia thought it really was Andrew...but she quickly realized how stupid _that_ was, too. People don't just come back from the dead, right? In fact, now that she looked, she realized several differences in the man- his hair was a bit more disheveled, he had a five o'clock shadow indicating he hadn't shaved recently, and his eyes had bit more dark green to it.

"...Uh...something wrong?" the man asked, frowning. "Why're you so quiet?"

"Oh! Uh...sorry," Zia spoke up, shaking her head. "Just, uh- nothing."

"Good! So, can I come in?" the man asked. "I won't be staying long, don't worry."

"Er- sure," Zia replied, stepping back to allow him inside. The man nodded and walked over to take a seat. He remarked, "Nice place- did you build it yourself?"

Zia nodded, taking a seat herself. She then realized the man was sitting in the same chair Andrew sat in. Coupled with the fact that this man looked almost identical to him...it was as if Andrew was right back in the room with her. She frowned and thought, _Of all the people in Terraria I could have met right now, why did it have to be the guy who looks_ just like _Andrew?_

"Hey- you okay?" the man asked, furrowing his brow. "You look kinda...down in the dumps."

"Hm? Oh...it's nothing," Zia replied, shaking her head. "It's just...you remind me of someone I used to know."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," the man replied, sitting back in the chair a bit. "...You know, you kinda remind me of someone I knew too."

"I do?" Zia asked, surprised.

The man nodded. "In fact, that's where I'm going- to see them."

Zia nodded, but didn't add anything.

"Hey...think you can help me out a bit?" the man then asked. "My friends are a pretty big deal around here, so maybe you'll know- do the two adventurers Dax and Zena still live in the forest, did they move, or...?"

Zia would have done a spittake if she had been drinking anything. "W-Who?"

"Dax? Zena?" the man repeated, before chuckling. "Didn't think I had famous friends, eh?"

"Y-You knew them?" Zia asked, still shocked. "You knew my parents?"

"Yeah, I just said I-" the man began, then stopped himself. "...I'm sorry, 'parents'?"

Zia nodded.

"Whoa...haha! No way!" the man said, immediately standing up out of surprise and joy. "That's why you looked so familiar! You look like Zena with shorter hair, but with Dax's eyes!"

He walked over, as though to get a better look at Zia. "Wow...20 years sure does change things, huh? I mean, I remember them talking about wanting to have a kid, but I didn't think..."

"...Um...who exactly are you, though?" Zia asked, tilting her head a little.

"Oh! Sorry, where are my manners?" the man replied, before holding out his hand. "My name's Brett."

Zia shook his hand, albeit a little awkwardly. "Zia. So, um...are you related to Andrew- also a friend of my parents- by any chance...? I mean, you two look pretty similar, so..."

"Related? Of course!" Brett replied with a little grin. "We're twins! Guess that explains the similar appearances."

"You're Andrew's brother...?" Zia asked. "He...never mentioned anything about a brother..."

"Yeah, well...I imagine he doesn't like to talk about me..." Brett replied, rubbing his head with a sheepish chuckle. "Say, Zia- did I get that right?- are your parents here? Or are they still sleeping? Ah, what am I saying, at this hour they're probably upstairs sleeping."

Before the girl could answer him, Brett was already making his way upstairs. Coming to a realization, Zia approached him and asked, "W-Wait, you don't know?"

"I just got here, of course I don't know if they're up here," Brett replied. "Quiet please, I wanna surprise them."

"N-No, Brett-" Zia began, momentarily surprised at how easily the man's name came out of her mouth despite having just met him. "Brett, they're not up there. They're not here."

"They're not? Aw," Brett replied, coming back down the stairs. "Whatever, I'll just wait for them to get back."

"No, you don't understand-" Zia began.

"Say, does Zena still garden?" Brett interrupted, seeming oblivious to her words. "Because I've been trying to find some Deathweed, don't ask why please."

"Brett, listen-!" Zia said, her frustration growing.

"And what about Dax, huh? Did he finally stop trying to grow put his hair?" Brett asked, still not paying attention. "Look, I get it, fabulous hair is important to a man, I mean just look at-"

 _"My parents are dead!"_ Zia blurted.

"..." Brett chuckled. "Wow! That's a dark sense of humor you've got there."

"I'm not joking!" Zia replied, her voice cracking slightly from sorrow. "My parents- Dax and Zena- died when I was six."

Brett's eyes widened. "You're...You're kidding, right...?"

Zia shook her head. "I'm not joking. My parents are dead. Your dad- Jeffrey, I think- died that day, too."

Brett looked absolutely shell-shocked by the news. "They're...They're all dead...? For real?"

She nodded. "Andrew has- er, had- been raising me ever since."

"..." Brett leaned against the Table, one hand going to his head as he thought deeply. Finally, he spoke again, his earlier jovial tone gone. "...Where's Andrew. I-I need to talk with him."

"..." Zia grimaced, trying to find the right way to break _that_ news to him.

Judging by the look in Brett's eyes, he seemed guess what Zia was trying to say. "Z-Zia...?"

"...He's dead too," Zia replied softly. "He died last night."

"...No," Brett stated firmly. "No. _Not_ Andrew."

"...I can prove it," Zia said, walking over to Brett and handing him something- Andrew's Green Cap.

"...!" Brett's eyes widened as he stared down at the Cap. He seemed to know just as well as Zia that Andrew would never take off that hat, ever. Zia sighed. "I, uh...can take you to where he's buried. C'mon."

"..." Brett nodded, then proceeded to follow Zia out to the Sunflower patch Andrew had been buried under. The man let out a little gasp, slowly approaching the wooden cross. "Oh...Oh god, he's...he's actually...!?"

"..." Zia stepped back a bit, about to give Brett his space...before the man spoke. "...How. Andrew was as cautious as could be. How did he end up dead...?"

"...Zombies. During that Blood Moon last night," Zia explained.

"But Andrew knew not to go out during a Blood Moon. He knew what to do to keep Zombies out," Brett insisted. "Why would he go out, and end up getting himself killed?"

"..." Zia shook her head, as if to give an 'I don't know' answer. Sure, it was lying...but the guy seemed upset enough as is, why make it worse by telling him the daughter of his two late friends was responsible? Besides- Brett was likely the only other person in this area, and Zia didn't really want him to hate her, despite him showing up so suddenly. He probably wasn't even staying anyways, right? He came to see his friends, but since they were all dead, surely he had no reason to stay.

"..." Luckily, Brett seemed to accept her answer and turned back to the grave. Now, Zia felt, would be a good time for her to head back inside. She decided against looking back at the man as she opened the door and headed inside.

* * *

Caught up with sleep and her mind _slightly_ cleared, Zia decided to do some metalworking to further help her mental health. After smelting Ore and counting up the other Bars she found in the Chest, Zia found she had 13 Iron Bars and 13 Silver Bars. Seeing as she didn't have enough of either to make better armor, she figured she'd improve her weapons. After a quick visit to the Anvil, Zia had made a Silver Broadsword and an Iron Bow.

She sat down on her Bed, and began to think about her next move. She definitely couldn't back down into that first cave, considering her armor wasn't good enough to keep her safe against those stronger monsters. Not to mention, she didn't know if there was any other areas down there that she had missed, and she didn't particularly want to go and check. But...what about the area beyond the entrance to the cave? There was more land out there, she just hadn't seen it yet. Surely, there were more entrances to the underground out there...one of them would have more caverns to explore.

Nodding, her mind made up, Zia stood up. _Andrew- wherever you are, don't worry about me too much, okay? If I need to get out of trouble, I will._

She walked downstairs...right at the same time Brett reentered the house. "Hey, Zia."

"Brett?" Zia said, turning to the man.

"Yeah," he replied, walking in. "I, uh- wanted to thank you for telling me about Dax, Zena, my dad, and Andrew..."

Zia nodded. "So...where will you go now? I mean, you came here to see everyone, but..."

"Weeell...hehe, funny thing..." Brett began, sheepishly chuckling. "I, uh...don't really have anywhere to go."

"W-What?" Zia asked, shocked.

"Yeah! So, I was thinking...maybe I could stay here!" Brett suggested, smiling brightly. "I know, you're going through some tough stuff right now...but wouldn't a little company be nice?"

He was right- some company would be nice. However, Zia still looked rather uncertain...

"Come on, it'll be fun! Like, Andrew was your godfather, right? Well, think of me as your god...uncle!" Brett continued. "You can even think of me as a replacement Guide if you want!"

That last comment didn't sit well with Zia. As her eyes widened and her fists were clenched, Brett seemed to realize the insensitivity of his words and immediately replied, "Wait, I-I didn't mean it like-"

"...You can stay," Zia said, her voice a bit of a growl. "I don't mind that. But don't talk like that. I can replace a sword, or a helmet, or a bed...but I won't replace the man who raised me. You...You will _never_ be my Guide."

Not waiting to see what effect her words had on Brett, Zia put on her Copper Helmet, headed out the Doors, and made her way east.

* * *

 **A/N: Ta-daaa! New character: Andrew's twin brother, Brett! Seems like Zia isn't quite so fond of him after that 'replacement' comment. But if a late, beloved family member turns out have a long-lost twin sibling who just shows up at your door one day, wouldn't you be a little jarred? But anyways, like I said, I feel like this chapter wasn't as good as the others...maybe because there was no monster fighting? I dunno...**

 **Anyways, next chapter...MORE EXPLORATION! A new location this time! What kind of treasures (and hazards) await Zia next time? FIND OUT NEXT...time...I already said that, crud...READ THE NEXT CHAPTER.**


	7. Snow Day

**A/N: Hellooooooo! Welcome to Chapter 6 (technically chapter 7 because Prologue)! The one without sudden new characters, but rather the usual spelunking adventure! New area, new treasures for Zia to find...will she come across near death this time? Let's find out...**

 **Also! I'd like to thank my sister for helping me come up with a title for this chapter! I doubt she's reading this, but whatever.**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Because death equals feels! And I love feels! Also, character death leads to character development, which is most important.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Snow Day**

Zia made her way east, jumping over the hole that led to the cave. She slayed a few Slimes, Green and Blue, in order to find more Gel. She also cut down another tree or two to get more Wood (she remembered to replant them, though). She made her way down a short slope, then came across a rather wide lake, with a patch of land towards the middle. Zia jumped in and walked along the bottom, wishing she knew how to swim without Flippers...good thing she knew how to hold her breath for a while.

On the other side of the water was a large area of rather flat land, with several tall trees growing in that spot. Zia found a bush of Blue Berries between two tress and collected the berries, thinking they'd make a good snack for later. She cut down several more Slimes here...before she felt something wet and cold falling on her. She looked up, to see snow slowly descending from the sky. She walked on, and the trees lost their leaves and became more gray- Boreal Trees. The grass became submerged in the whiteness of the snow, and patches of ice were scattered about. Zia shivered as she walked through the Snow biome, wishing for a shirt more suited for such a cold area.

A Slimes bounced towards her- this one was a bluish-white color, almost glittering- as if it was made of ice. Zia also quickly killed it, getting more Gel from it. She continued on through the snow, trying her best not to slip on any ice she found. Eventually, she came across a rather large mountain, several Boreal Trees growing at the top. Most importantly, however, there was an opening at the base of a mountain. It seemed to go back pretty far...no doubt, this was a cave entrance.

 _Finally!_ Zia thought to herself, approaching. _Here's hoping it's warmer down there..._

Looking around to make sure no monsters were following her, the girl entered the icy cave.

* * *

Just like before, the cave started out in a long 'Z' shape, going down. Little icicles hung from the cave's roof, some of them dripping water. To Zia's dismay, the cave wasn't any warmer that it was outside...oh well, she'd just have to get used to the temperature.

Eventually, the tunnel leveled off, opening into a wide chamber. Ice covered the ground at the bottom- Zia could vaguely see water beneath the ice. A pair of Ice Slimes were bouncing across the icy floor towards her. Drawing her Silver Broadsword, Zia jumped up and tried to perform a downward slash. She managed to hit the one at the front...but when she landed, the ice covering the water shattered instantly, and she fell through with a yelp.

Luckily, the water wasn't too deep- deep enough to submerge her, but she could easily jump up and climb out. The Ice Slimes kept jumping around, trying to get a hit on her, but they kept going right over the hole in the ice. Zia, realizing the ice was too slippery for her to get a grip on it, decided to drive her Pickaxe into it and pull herself out of the frigid water using that. Once she was out, Zia muttered to herself, "Ugh, I hope I don't get hypothermia from this..."

As she picked herself up, one of the Ice Slimes from before tanned itself into her back. With a cry of surprise, Zia turned on her heel and slashed at the creature. It flew back, but wasn't down for the count. The two Ice Slimes jumped towards Zia simultaneously as if to double team her. In response, she swung the Broadsword downwards, knocking the two back again. One more slash later, and they were both dead.

Nodding, Zia made her way to the other side of the chamber. She found another tunnel and entered it, her Torch lighting the way. She looked up to see the light reflecting off some Ore above her- Copper and Iron. Since Iron was stronger than Copper, Zia decided she'd take that. So, after a minute or two of mining, she had 20 pieces of Iron Ore.

"I really hope I can get enough Ore to make some better armor..." Zia muttered to herself as she continued on, having pocketed the Ore. "This Copper Helmet _really_ isn't the best..."

The tunnel opened up to another chamber, this one more like a fat 'S' shape. A pair of Cave Bats swooped down towards her, and an Ice Slime hopped down from a ledge above her. Zia knocked the bats away with her blade, while she took out her Iron Bow and shot several Arrows at the Ice Slime. The Cave Bats came down in an attempt to attack again, but ended up killed by the Silver Broadsword. The Ice Slime ended up killed the same way.

After all the monsters were taken care of, Zia threw a Rope Coil up at the ledge...and when she missed, she threw another, this one actually hitting the right spot. She climbed up, then placed a Torch to get a better look at the spot. She noticed some Silver Ore embedded in the wall, as well as a few Pots lying on the ground. She first smashed open the Pots, getting a few Coins and some Lesser Healing Potions. She then mined the Silver, gaining 15 pieces.

"I think I'm making some kind of progress..." Zia told herself as she made her way up to the top of the chamber, where another tunnel awaited her. "I mean, I'm actually getting stuff, aren't I? And these monsters aren't too threatening...I'm doing fine so far! What could happen?"

As she looked out into another open area, Zia heard something behind her. Before she could turn around to see what it was...the thing hit her in the back, knocking her off the ledge and down into the cavernous room. As she fell, Zia let out a loud shriek.

 _Calm down, calm down! I...I think see thin ice down there! And that means water!_ Zia thought to herself as she fell. _That'll break my fall for sure!_

Too late, however, she realized there didn't look like there was any water under the ice...just more thing ice. Zia cried out, "Oh no, nonononoNO-"

The thin ice shattered the moment Zia touched it, as did the ice underneath it, and the ice underneath that. She fell through layer after layer of thin ice, before she managed to grasp the side with her Shoe Spikes to slow her descent. Finally, she was slow enough to where the ice no loner broke, but she'd need to be careful. Zia grimaced at the pain in her feet and forelegs- yes, she'd _definitely_ be feeling this in the morning.

She looked up to see where she had fallen, only to see a bat fly overhead. However, this one seemed different- it was light blue and glistening, like ice- an Ice Bat. It was very likely that monster was the one that had knocked her into the ice. Zia would get payback soon enough- first, she had to get out of this ice hole. Utilizing her Shoe Spikes, she began to make her way up the side of the hole, hoping nothing came to hinder her.

Unfortunately, she wasn't so lucky. An Ice Slime managed to make its way into the hole, and firmly acquaint itself with Zia's head.

"...You know, I'm beginning to really not like you guys," Zia said to the Slime, just before killing it with her Silver Broadsword. Once that impediment was gone, the girl was able to fully make it out of the hole and get a good look at the room. It was wide, and opened up to about three other tunnels. Zia decided to pick the one that seemed the shortest, which was to the left- and was face-to-face with the Ice Bat that had knocked her off the ledge before.

"Ooh, back for more, huh!?" Zia yelled, pulling out her Iron Bow and firing. The Ice Bat was easily able to maneuver around the Arrows, however, and strike at the girl again. This time, something different happened- Zia felt herself get extremely chilled, to the point where she couldn't even move quickly. Despite this, she was able to draw her Broadsword and slash at the Ice Bat. Two more hits like that later, and the creature was dead.

With that out of the way, Zia made her way left and into the short tunnel. It opened up into a chamber, also with water on the bottom, covered with thin ice. On the other side of the cave was some kind of faintly glowing red stone...in the shape of a heart? Odd shape for a rock, but Zia decided to investigate anyways. She was careful not to break the ice again as she made her way to the heart stone. As she got closer...she felt a lot warmer. And more comfortable. It was very refreshing.

"I wonder...can I take this with...?" Zia asked herself. Only one way to find out- she took out her Pickaxe and struck the heart. A few hits later, the stone shattered...but out of that stone came a smaller, heart-shaped crystal. Zia curiously picked it up, feeling its warmth in her hand. "Heh...this thing's nice. I should hold on to it to keep me warm."

As she focused on the crystal and its warmth, it started to glow...before shattering into a red light, and them flowing into Zia. The girl fell back with a shocked yelp, almost breaking the ice due to the impact. She looked at her hands, neither seeing nor feeling any trace of the crystal. Zia stood...but realized she did feel something. She felt a little stronger, a little more rejuvenated. She felt like she could endure a little but more from these monsters.

Too bad Zia didn't feel any warmer.

* * *

Next, Zia decided to go for the cave that led deeper down. Like the start of the caverns, it had a steep 'Z' shape to it. About halfway down, she came across a regular Chest- it contained 7 Silver Bars, 15 Throwing Knives, 2 Lesser Healing Potions, and 30 Copper Coins. By breaking some nearby Pots, Zia gained some more Coins. The tunnel seemed to go into another 'Z' shape before opening into another room. The bottom was inundated in water...but on the other end was an absolutely huge vein of Silver Ore.

"Whoa! Jackpot!" Zia exclaimed eagerly, running/wading over...she almost didn't see the Pressure Plate on the Ore. When she did see it, she was mere inches away from stepping on it. "Hm...another dart trap? You're not getting me a second time!"

She used her Pickaxe to remove the Pressure Plate (it was brown), then proceeded to remove the Silver Ore. Halfway through her mining, she found what appeared to be...a block of Explosives? Could that be what the Pressure Plate had been connected to? Regardless, she removed that too and kept on mining. Once she was done, Zia had a whopping 40 pieces of Silver Ore. That had to make enough Bars for her to improve her armor, right?

Looking up, Zia noticed several beams of wood...which was supporting another Underground Cabin. Grinning, the girl immediately began climbing up the cavern's side wall, before looking to see how close the house was. Much to Zia's surprise, the house was close enough to the wall that she could jump onto its roof. She quickly did so, landing with a short _thud._ Zia took notice of the house's appearance- it was made of what appeared to be Boreal Wood, with a few patches covered in blue ice and snow. A set of platforms allowed access into the house from the roof, which the girl went through.

Once inside the dilapidated cabin, Zia heard some noise downstairs. It sounded almost like a Zombie...but Zombies didn't live down here, did they? Before going to investigate, however, she shattered the Pots placed on the floor she was on. They yielded more Coins and even a few Shurikens. After that was taken care of, Zia made her way downstairs to see what the noise was...

First, she noticed a Chest on the other side of the room- a light blue one covered in ice. Second, she noticed that she wasn't alone- standing in front of the Ice Chest was a humanoid figure, with extremely pale skin, icy blue eyes, and was wearing a Viking Helmet. It growled at Zia, much like a Zombie would...was this thing undead? Regardless, it was blocking the path to the Chest, and didn't seem like it was going to move peacefully. With a scowl, Zia drew her Broadsword and ran at the monster.

The Undead Viking took a direct hit to the chest, but still charged at her. Another hit, and it still wasn't down. It swung a punch at Zia, who jumped back to dodge. Drawing her Iron Bow, she shot the Undead Viking with several Wooden Arrows, but it was still up and charging at her. She whacked the monster away with her Silver Broadsword, then fired some more Arrows at it. The Undead Viking took the attacks and managed to smack Zia back a bit. However, she wasn't down yet, and slashed at the monster again with her sword. One more swing later, and the monster was dead.

Zia let out a little relieved sigh. "Well! That definitely went better than last time!"

Cheerful, Zia opened up the Ice Chest to see its contents. 6 Silver Bars, 2 Recall Potions (she really needed those), 2 Potions that contained a yellow liquid in a circular bottle with a hole in the middle (Shine Potion), and a pair of light blue boots with a pair of little wings on the side. She took these items...but noticed something else in the Chest- spmething odd. The item in question appeared to be an...eyeball. It resembled a normal Demon Eye very closely, but smaller.

Zia picked up the Eye in confusion. It looked harmless enough, but...it gave her a weird feeling. This Eye was very suspicious-looking, to her. She just didn't know why. Zia shrugged and decided to take it with- she'd figure what it was for later. For now, Zia felt she had made significant progress- nothing more needed to be done, at least not right now. Despite how much she wanted to keep going...she could practically hear Andrew telling her to not push it, to be patient.

 _See? I can learn! I can improve!_ Zia thought to herself as she drank the Recall Potion and returned home

* * *

Happy to be in the warmth of her home again, Zia immediately went to smelt the Ore. Combined with what she had leftover from last time, she had 12 Iron Bars and 31 Silver Bars. This allowed her to create Silver Chainmail, which was definitely an improvement over what she originally had, even it did feel a little heavy to wear. Once the crafting was done, Zia sat down on her bed to examine the Suspicious-Looking Eye again.

"..." Zia shook her head, then she muttered to herself, "I don't understand...why do I get such a bad feeling every time I look at this thing...? I'm just holding a regular eye, right? ...Okay, that sounds kinda weird, but whatever."

Pocketing the Eye again, she stood and decided to head downstairs. Sure, Brett might be down there, but she could just ignore him. However, she'd quickly realize it wouldn't be quite that simple. The moment she fished descending the stairs, Zia noticed two things. First: Brett was standing off to the side a bit, and quickly turned to the girl with a look of surprise and a bit of worry. Second: there was an old man sitting and relaxing in one of the chairs.

* * *

 **A/N: And so, Zia's journey into the Underground Snow biome turns out to be a success! Like, she even found a Life Crystal, that's a good thing! And we got to learn some things about her! One, she tends to talk to herself when underground (but then again, who else is she going to talk to?). Two, she tends to jinx herself...very badly (although she got lucky with that Explosives Trap...and the thin ice).**

 **It seems we've also got a bit of mystery going on...who is this mysterious old man that has made himself at home at Zia's place? And what's deal with the Suspicious-Looking Eye? These (or at least the first one) will be answered...in the next chapter! I hope to see you there!**


	8. Wanderers of Terraria

**A/N: Hello! After doing a bit of hunting for Titanium Ore and then trying to defeat the Destroyer (I failed. Three times), I'm back to write the next chapter! And this one is going to introduce one of my favorite aspects of Terraria! I'm not gonna explain here, you'll just have to see for yourself, so enjoy!**

 **Also! Happy late 4th of July everyone! :D**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _NexusXV:_ Sorry, I know the Shield of Cthulhu is great an all, but this isn't an Expert. I can't just switch between stuff from Normal worlds and stuff from Expert Worlds- there's gotta be some consistency!**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Calm down, the Eye is harmless on its own! Zia would have to actually _use_ the Eye for it to be dangerous. Also, her face probably would have been half digested had she _not_ stabbed the Slime, so...**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Wanderers of Terraria**

The man wore a light brown trench coat, with a hat of the same color covering a head of white hair, as well as dull blue pants and black shoes. He had dark green eyes, and a long beard also made of white hair. Zia turned to Brett, who gave her a look that seemed to say 'Your guess is as good as mine'.

"Hm? So you're the one who owns this place?" the old man asked, turning to Zia. "That can't be right- you look like you're 15!"

"Er, I'm 16..." Zia corrected him. "Sorry, but- who exactly are you?"

"Well, I was waiting for the owner of the house to get back before I made introductions, since the guy with the ridiculous hair said it wasn't him," he explained, gesturing to Brett. "So I guess you'll have to do. My name is Frederick, Merchant Extraordinaire!"

"I'm Zia, and that guy over there is Brett," Zia said, nodding in greeting. "So- you're a Merchant?"

"That's what I said," Frederick replied, crossing his arms. "Been in the business for about 35 years, buuut I've been looking for a place to retire."

"So you wanted to come to...Terraria?" Brett asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wow, bold move."

"...Not exactly," Frederick went on, frowning. "I wanted to go to Fiji, but the damn travel agency conned me! Took my money and sent me to a place that's a hodge-podge of climates and teeming with pests bigger than me!"

Zia grimaced. "Well- sorry that happened to you, Frederick."

"So am I. But, this place was the only sign of real civilization I could find, so here I am!" Frederick said, standing. "Of course, that guy- Brett, was it?- seemed pretty flustered when he found me in here..."

"I swear, I didn't let him in, the guy let himself in," Brett explained, gesturing to the door.

"Well if you didn't want people coming in as they please, you oughta put some locks on the door!" the Merchant said, sending a withering glare at Zia and Brett.

"We'll keep that in mind..." Zia replied, rubbing back of her head with a frown. "But, uh, you can't stay in here- me and Brett are already staying here, so it would get a little crowded..."

"Well, I don't see any other houses around here, do _you?"_ Frederick asked, spreading his arms our as though to gesture to the whole area. "So please tell me, where do you propose I stay?"

"Um..." Zia murmured, looking down in thought...before an idea formed on her head. "...Wait in here. I'll be back."

Before either man could ask questions, Zia quickly ran out the right door, taking the Work Bench with her. She examined the surrounding trees...they weren't very tall, but they would provide enough Wood for what she needed. She cleared out a space to the east of the house, before making a rectangle that was twelve blocks by seven. After filling it in with Wood Walls, Zia made a Table and a few Chairs, as well as placing some Torches along the sides. Finally, she used the Wood she had leftover to make a roof, in the shape of a trapezoid- she even used her Wooden Hammer to make proper slopes.

"Okay! Frederick, your house is done!" Zia declared, reentering her house once the construction was done. "It's right outside, east."

"Hm? You built a separate house?" Frederick asked, skeptical. "With all the necessities? Walls, lights, a table and chairs?"

"Yup! Even gave you a nice little roof too," Zia replied, nodding. "Go see for yourself."

The Merchant nodded, briskly heading outside to see the house. Zia nodded, while Brett decided to stay put inside. Once at the new house, Frederick...actually looked satisfied. "Well! Color me surprised! I guess you really do know how to build- makes it a little more believable that you built that other house."

"Thanks," Zia replied. "And you can stay in this house as long as you need- although, like you said, there's no other civilized place close by, so..."

"I plan to," Frederick replied...before smiling, as of gaining an idea. "In fact...I think I might do a little bit more."

"More?" Zia asked, tilting her head a bit.

"Judgin' by that armor of yours, you seem like the explorer type," the Merchant said, turning to the girl. "And I can tell you've got quite a bit of money on you!"

"Huh? How can you tell?" Zia asked.

"I've been in the business long time, young'un," Frederick replied, grinning. "I can practically _smell_ the amount of Coins on someone. Seriously, I've been told I have a strong sense of smell, it's a blessing and a curse."

"...Okay," Zia replied, furrowing her brow...and stepping back a little. "So?"

"So, you need supplies, don't you? Without having to go underground?" Frederick asked. "And I see an opportunity to spend my golden years doing what I do best- selling stuff at great prices!"

"You want to sell me stuff?" Zia asked.

"Of course! Gotta do something with that money, right?" Frederick replied. "Why not give it to someone who really deserves it- me- in exchange for essential exploring needs!"

"Well...I guess that makes sense," Zia replied, shrugging. "Yeah! Good idea!"

"Glad to hear it!" Frederick replied cheerfully before heading inside the new house.

Once the Merchant was inside, Zia headed back to her own home as Brett poked his head out. "I take it he liked the house?"

She nodded, going to sit down. Brett then added, "You know...you should build more houses!"

"More houses? Why would I do that?" Zia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well...there could be more people who would want to move in around here," Brett explained. "They'll need houses!"

"..." Zia frowned at Brett, who decided to stop talking- after all, he wasn't her Guide, what business did he have advising her? Besides, they probably just lucked out with Frederick being in the area- there's no way anyone would be so close by.

"...Well, uh- I'll be upstairs," Brett said with an awkward smile before ascending the stairs.

Zia decided to look over her inventory to see if she needed to buy anything from Frederick...then, upon seeing the Suspicious-Looking Eye, got an idea. Surely, being a seller of items, and an old one at that, Frederick would know what the Eye did. She definitely wasn't about to ask Brett- he didn't seem to be the human encyclopedia Andrew was, what would he know about this item?

She was about to stand up and go ask Frederick- but decided to wait. After all, the guy just moved in, he shouldn't be bothered with this kind of stuff right away. Besides- Zia felt there was other stuff to take care of around here, and she figured she ought to take a break from exploration for a little bit. Soon, though, she planned to ask him.

* * *

The most important task, Zia felt, was covering that pit to the west. She planned to use several layers of Dirt Blocks to cover the large opening, maybe six, and even plant a few trees in that spot. As she approached the pit, Zia couldn't help but shiver a bit from the memories. This was where she and Andrew had been cornered by Zombies during the Blood Moon...where Andrew had died.

"...Well, no one's gonna die because of this hole again," Zia said to herself firmly. "I'm gonna make sure of that."

However, Zia quickly came across an issue- she didn't nearly have enough Dirt to cover the gap. She only had enough to partially complete the first/bottom layer, which would at least allow her to jump across. She went east of the pit to the hill, taking off part of its peak with her Pickaxe. It was enough to finish the bottom layer and part of the second layer, but it still wasn't enough.

 _I'll have to destroy that hole hill, won't I?_ Zia thought to herself, sighing. _Well, if I use the Pickaxe, it'll take forever...do I have anything to do it faster?_

She started to look through her inventory to see if she had anything destructive...and realized she still had some Bombs. If anything did the trick, explosives would!

"Well, here's hoping the blast doesn't take out anything important..." Zia murmured as she tossed one Bomb onto what remained of the top of the hill, taking out a chunk of the hill once it exploded. She threw another once that one was gone, taking out another portion of the blocks. Zia made sure to collect the multitude of blocks and bring them back to the pit to continue building. Despite the demolition, however, the girl still didn't have enough to complete all the layers- she made up to about half of the fourth Dirt layer.

Zia sighed. "Well, time for round two I guess."

She turned to go back to the hill (or what was left of it), making sure she had enough Bombs...before she heard another explosion in that direction. Zia's eyes widened as she said to herself, "That...was _not_ me."

She ran to the hill. Another large chunk had been taken out, having sent blocks of Dirt flying everywhere. It would likely be enough for Zia to finish covering the pit...but how did it blow up?

"Wait- what's that...?" Zia asked herself as she spotted something on the ground near the hill's remains. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be some kind of small lantern on a long stick. "That's weird- where'd this come from?"

"Well I hope you're not thinking of keeping that, because I kinda need that to see in the dark!" answered a gruff voice from somewhere.

"Holy-!" Zia cried, whipping around with her sword at the ready to defend herself...

"Whoa! And they said I was trigger happy!" the voice said in response. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. Just, ah- can you help me get down from here?"

Zia looked around, putting her sword away. "Where are you?"

"Up here!" the voice replied. Zia looked to where the voice was coming from. It seemed to be coming from...a nearby tree? Shrugging, the girl walked over. "Hello?"

The tree's leaves rustled and something popped out, hanging upside down. From what Zia could see, it appeared to be a man with blue eyes and ginger hair, with a beard of the same color. He wore a mining helmet of some kind, and his face was covered in soot. "Hi there! Are you gonna get me down now? I think the blood's rushing to my head."

Deciding to ask questions after she had gotten him down, Zia chose the most practical route. She took out her Copper Axe and chopped at the base of the tree. It fell in a matter of seconds, dropping Wood, Acorns, and the man. He immediately stood up with a smile. "Thanks for that! You wouldn't believe how easy it is to get tangled up in those branches."

Now that he was down from the tree, Zia could get a better look at the man. For one thing, he was very short, his height only reaching up to her chest. He wore brown shoes and a brown vest over a white shirt, as well as gray pants. He asked, "Hey, can you hand me my lantern?"

Zia nodded, going over to grab it and handing the light to the dwarf. She asked, "So, who are you? Were you the one that caused that third explosion?"

"Yup! Name's Norkas!" he replied. "I heard some explosions over here and saw all the damage, so I figured some demolition was happening. And lucky for you, that happens to be in my job name, so I figured I'd take part myself!"

"So how'd you end up in that tree?" Zia asked, glancing at where the tree was.

"General rule of thumb- make sure you're not too close to your Bombs when they detonate," Norkas explained. "Those explosions can send you _flying!"_

Zia nodded. "Well, thanks I guess! I'm Zia, by the way."

"Nice to meetcha, Zia!" Norkas replied cheerfully. "Say, if you've still got some Bombs on you, do you mind if I take a look at one of 'em?"

Zia shrugged and nodded, handing one of her Bombs to the Demolitionist. He looked it over for a moment, then asked, "Found this underground, did you?"

"Yeah- how could you tell?" Zia asked.

"I'm an expert at explosives, I've seen them come from all kinds of places," Norkas replied matter-of-factly. "You can't always trust things you find in caves- who knows how old they are. They might not work properly!"

"Hm...never really thought of it like that," Zia replied, shrugging. "But these seem to work fine-"

"I'm not saying they don't, but you could still use an explosives expert like me for demolition advice," the dwarf continued. "Besides- if you need stuff to blow up something, you can't rely on underground Chests- rely on the guy who sells them!"

"So, does that mean you want to actually live around here?" Zia asked.

"Sure! I see houses over there," Norkas replied, pointing east to where the houses were. "Besides, I'm sure there's a place for me to live, right?"

"...Wait right there," Zia said to him before running off. Several felled trees later, Zia had constructed a house for Norkas, next-door to Frederick- it was eleven blocks by ten, and contained all the necessary house items (lights, table, chairs). She would have made the walls out of something more sturdy, but didn't have the necessary material.

"Okay! Your house is ready!" Zia said to Norkas (who was standing in the exact same place he had been before). "You've also got a neighbor, so _please_ try to be careful with your explosives."

"You can count on me!" Norkas rumbled with a hearty laugh, before going off to move in.

Once he was gone, Zia went to finish covering the pit. As she went, she thought to herself, _Huh...what are the odds_ two _people who wanted a place to live would show up around here? I dunno, maybe it was just luck...there can't be anyone else out here besides Frederick and Norkas, right?_

* * *

 _Thud-thud-thud._ "Zia! Brett! One of you, open up!"

The knocking and Frederick's disgruntled shout roused the two house residents from their sleep. By the time Zia made it downstairs, Brett had already answered the door for the Merchant and asked, "What's the matter, Fred?"

"Could one of you go out there and tell Shorty to not test his explosives so early in the morning?" Frederick asked, visibly angered. "I may be old, but even I need beauty sleep!"

"I'll talk to him," Zia replied, already moving past Frederick and heading to Norkas's house. She quickly realized he was outside, however, based on where the sound of explosions were coming from. She went to the other side of the house, then found Norkas near the hole that led to the cave Zia had explored before. He appeared to be testing out what appeared to be Grenades.

"Hey! Norkas!" Zia called out as she approached the Demolitionist.

"Oh! Morning, Zia!" Norkas replied, waving. "Don't mind me, I'm just testing some of these new Grenades I made."

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Zia replied. "See, Frederick isn't really so fond of the sound of stuff blowing up so early in the morning..."

"What? I thought I was far enough away from the houses to keep the noise away..." Norkas replied, rubbing the back of his head with a frown.

"Well...why not try it over by that lake?" Zia suggested, pointing further east. "It's farther away, and the walk back to your house isn't _too_ long."

"Hm...yeah, that makes sense," Norkas replied, nodding in understanding. "Wouldn't want to deprive anyone else of sleep, that's for sure. People need beauty sleep, you know!"

"I've heard," Zia replied with a little smile. "Thanks for understanding, Norkas."

"No problem!" Norkas replied cheerfully, giving her a thumbs-up...with a hand still holding a Grenade. A _lit_ Grenade.

Zia let out a short gasp. "N-Norkas! That Grenade!"

"Hm?" Norkas looked down at his hand and the Grenade. "Oh, yeah, guess I activate this one and forgot to throw it. I should probably-"

 _BOOM!_ The Grenade detonated, and Zia threw her arms up to shield herself from the blast. Luckily, the blast wasn't big enough to affect her. Norkas, on the other hand, was covered in soot again...and he was missing an arm.

"...Whoo! Nice to see these things really work!" Norkas said cheerfully, seemingly oblivious to his missing limb.

"NORKAS! YOUR ARM!" Zia cried in abject horror.

"Oh, yeah- do you mind getting that for me?" Norkas asked nonchalantly. "Don't worry, this happens to me a lot. You've got a doctor around here, right?"

"N-No!" Zia replied.

"...Oh," Norkas stated, still looking rather calm about the situation. "Well that's a predicament, isn't it?"

"J-Just stay there! Sit down or something!" Zia frantically told the dwarf. "I'll go out and find something to help you!"

The girl new Frederick didn't sell any medical stuff besides Lesser Healing Potions, and those probably wouldn't help in this situation, and Brett was far from a medical expert. Therefore, she ran out to see if she could find something in the wilderness.

 _Oh god oh god oh god, c'mon there's gotta be something I can use!_ Zia thought as she ran. _Herbs! Cobwebs! Something in a Chest, ANYTHING-_

Suddenly, she felt herself run into something. Well, it turned out to be a some _one_ when Zia heard, "Ow! Watch where you're going!"

When Zia looked, she saw a woman with blonde hair pulled into a ponytail and green eyes picking herself off the ground. She reached down and grabbed some kind of white hat, dusting it off and muttering, "Honestly, I've been lost out here for days now, the last thing I need is some kid knocking me into the dirt."

"S-Sorry ma'am, I'm just trying to-" Zia began, then stopped when she saw the lady's outfit. It was a clean white uniform of sorts, and had a red symbol on the sleeves- a red plus shape. She asked the woman, "Hey! Are you a doctor?"

"I've got a PhD, yes," the woman replied, crossing her arms. "Although you can just call me a Nurse."

That was all Zia needed to hear. She grabbed the Nurse's arm and said, "I need you to follow me!"

She practically dragged the confused woman to where Norkas was. When they arrived, the still bleeding Demolitionist cheerfully waved. "Hey Zia! Who's your friend?"

"Norkas, this is..." Zia began, but went quiet as she realized she hadn't actually asked for the woman's name.

"Kayla," the Nurse replied, then shot an angry glance at Zia. "And give me a warning next time you decide to run off and take me with- it's hard to run in these heels!"

"Sorry..." Zia replied. "But, please- can you help him?"

Kayla went over to Norkas, who still seemed rather calm despite having lost an arm. She frowned and said, "Goodness, what did you _do?_ Blow yourself up?"

"Yes," Zia and Norkas replied simultaneously.

Kayla sighed. "Fine, I'll fix you up. Zia, was it? Can you get his arm for me?"

As Kayla led Norkas away, Zia did as she was told and picked up the dwarf's arm. She cringed as she did so- it was one thing picking up a Zombie's arm, but holding the arm of someone who was still alive just felt...wrong.

"I don't suppose you have a medical place?" Kayla asked as they approached Norkas's house. Zia shook her head. In response, the Nurse replied, "Oh well, this'll have to do. Give me that arm."

She handed Kayla the arm before suggesting, "Hey! What if I built you a medic place?"

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you implying that you want me to stay?"

Zia froze. "Well...I mean...unless you have somewhere else you need to be."

"..." Kayla seemed to be deep in thought, then replied, "...No. I...guess I don't. Besides, you guys seem like you could use a doctor, what with an explosives guy around and you being the explorer type."

"How'd you know that last part?" Zia asked, frowning.

"Well, that armor's not just for decoration, is it?" Kayla asked, poking her shoulder blade. "Now go build that medical ward, although I'm not sure you can do it by yourself. I'll patch up this guy in here."

Zia nodded in thanks before running off to get materials. She'd need Wood, and lots of it. She'd also need to get the Loom and Sawmill out again to make Beds- two should be enough. Not to mention Cobwebs for Silk- she'd probably have to go back underground to get more. Zia first chopped down numerous trees to get what she hoped was enough Wood for everything- walls, Table, Chairs, Beds (it was at this moment that Zia began to realize just how much Wood she really used when building), etc.

She did, indeed, have to go back to the first cave to get Cobwebs. They weren't too hard to find, and she didn't have to go back down too deep, luckily, and there were a bunch of them to be harvested. After having made her way back on foot, Zia got out the Loom to make Silk and Sawmill to make two actual Beds. After making a Table and Chairs, Zia proceeded to go and build the actual house. She decided to build the ward to the west of her house, making sure to avoid the area where Andrew was buried.

The building itself was very long- fifteen blocks long and eight blocks high. She put the Beds to the far right and the Table and Chairs to the left. She put up a lot of Torches along the walls, because a medical room needed ample lighting, right? Zia just wished she had the items to make windows, or at least paint the room a different color. Oh well, it would have to do for right now.

By the time she was done, it was nearly night. Kayla was done fixing up Norkas- she had managed to sew his arm back on- and was now wandering near Zia's house. When she saw the girl coming, she turned to her and said, "Well, that took you long enough. You _are_ done, right?"

Zia nodded. "May not be the best, but it's got Beds and stuff."

"...Fine, good enough," Kayla replied, nodding. "Thanks."

She nodded in response as the Nurse walked off. Zia heard the Door open and saw Brett walk out. He said, "So, finished with the new house?"

Zia nodded and was about to walk into the house...only to see Brett giving her a bit of a cocky smirk. She frowned and asked, "What's that look for?"

"Aah, nothing," Brett replied with a chuckle. "Just enjoying being right."

"And what exactly were you right about?" Zia asked, crossing her arms.

"About making more houses," Brett explained. "I was all 'You should build more houses on case more people show up' and you were all 'No why would I do that?'."

"I don't think I exactly said that," Zia replied. "I never specifically said 'no' to your suggestion."

"But did you listen and make more houses?"

"..." Zia pursed her lips and looked away.

Brett chuckled again. "Maybe from now on, you'll actually listen to my advice, eh?"

Zia narrowed her eyes at Brett again. The man's face fell and he said, "Right, right, not your Guide. Baby steps, baby steps."

"...I'm going to bed," Zia stated, heading upstairs.

"Night!" Brett called. The girl didn't answer him as she went to lie down.

"...I knew I was forgetting something," Zia muttered to herself as she was about to fall asleep. "Note to self: ask Frederick about the Eye tomorrow."

* * *

 **A/N: And there you have it! My favorite aspect of Terraria: the NPCs! Call this a filler chapter if you want, but I had to introduce these people somehow- so I condensed the first three into one chapter! Sure it made the chapter kinda long, but it was worth it! Now, we've got** **Frederick the Merchant,** **Norkas the Demolitionist, and** **Kayla the Nurse!**

 **And let me tell you, this is just the beginning- there will be more NPCs in the future! And, much like these first ones...each of them will have some form of backstory! Some kind of reason why they're in a place as deadly and terrifying as Terraria. YEAH, BACKSTORY!**

 **But, we'll get to them when we get to them. For now...next chapter! The Suspicious-Looking Eye! What is it hiding? Can Frederick help our sorta-kinda hero? Who will be the next NPC? Find out next time! Hope to see you there! :D**


	9. Beyond the Desert

**A/N: Hellooo! Welcome back to another chapter of The Tale of Terraria! Or "TToT" if you're a fan of acronyms. So, I did some looking at this story's statistics again- it's got over 100 views! A total of 100 people actually gave this story a passing glance! And, like, half those people actually clicked on this one! ...And yet, I think I've only got 2 consistent readers, if the reviews are any indication. If you're someone else reading this, don't be afraid to leave a review! Even if it's Anonymous, it's still appreciated!**

 **So, last time we were introduced to some NPCs...and now we get some more plot stuff! HOORAY, LET'S GO!**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ ...Really? _That_ was one of your biggest questions? What Coins were for? I mean, I know you haven't played Terraria, so some of this stuff might be pretty confusing, but still- Coins? Also, I think Norkas is kinda used to having his limbs blown off by his own explosives...**

 **And don't worry- YOU'LL GET MOAR NPCS, I PROMISE!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Beyond the Desert**

The next morning came, and Zia made her way to Frederick's house as soon as she could. However, rather than getting a chance to ask about the Suspicious-Looking Eye, the girl found herself having to listen to Frederick's sale pitches.

"So it's just for...storing Coins?" Zia asked, looking over the tiny pink Piggy Bank with a frown.

"Well, _traditionally,_ yes," Frederick replied. "But my Piggy Banks can store much more than money! You'd be surprised just how much can fit in one of these, they're like miniature portable Chests!"

"Um- you know what, fine, this might come in handy," Zia said with a nod. "How much is it, anyways?"

"One Gold," Frederick stated.

 _"Gold?"_ Zia asked, eyes wide. "For a little Piggy Bank?"

"A Piggy Bank that can act as a Chest," Frederick reminded her, crossing his arms. "These things aren't cheap to make you know!"

"Well I never said they- wait, what am I even doing?" Zia said, shaking her head and setting down the Piggy Bank. "I didn't come here to talk about buying stuff."

"What? Well then what's the point of even coming in?" the Merchant asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You're knowledgeable with items, right?" Zia asked, taking a seat.

"I've been selling stuff almost my whole life- I've sold and have been sold some weird things in that time," Frederick replied. "I'm pretty sure I've seen it all by now."

"Good to hear," Zia replied, before pulling out the Eye and showing it to him. "So, can you tell me what this is?"

Frederick squinted as he looked over it. "That's...an eye. Where'd you get that?"

"I found it in a Chest underground," Zia explained. "I get this...weird feeling from it. It definitely doesn't seem like a regular disembodied eye, that's for sure."

"Well...I dunno, it kinda looks like-" Frederick began...then froze, as though remembering something. "Oh no. Oooh no no no no-"

"What's wrong...?" Zia asked, drawing her hand back a bit.

"I could tell you were the exploring type...but I never would've taken you for one of _those_ maniacs!" Frederick went on, ignoring Zia and taking off his hat as though stressed. "Those people who think they're strong enough to kill this continent's most powerful beasts! Well let me tell you something! I certainly hope a scrawny kid like you isn't all that stands between us and Cthulhu's eye!"

"Frederick! Calm down," Zia said, standing. "What are you talking about?"

"...The ocular menace? The original Demon Eye? The night watcher?" Frederick said before throwing his arms up. "The Eye of Cthulhu! Any adventurer worth their salt knows what that is! I'm neither an adventure nor _from_ Terraria and I know what that is!"

"The Eye of Cthulhu...?" Zia muttered, then her eyes widened. "I...think I've heard of that before, actually."

"Then you should what that is," Frederick replied, gesturing to the Suspicious-Looking Eye. "If you show that thing at night, the Eye will come for you. You'd better pray to the stars that you're prepared- I've heard of countless hero wannabes being slaughtered by that thing. And no matter how many someone kills it, it always manages to come back to life!"

Zia's eyes widened as she stared down at the Suspicious-Looking Eye. "Whoa..."

"Yup," Frederick stated. "By the way, you're welcome."

"Yeah, thanks," Zia replied, putting the Eye away and exiting. When she did, she leaned against the house's wall.

 _I can't believe I just randomly found an item that can summon one of the deadliest monsters in Terraria..._ Zia thought to herself. _I can barely remember my parents talking about defeating it...and like Frederick says, it comes back to life at some point anyways..._

She took out the Eye and looked it over again. _But still...isn't the Eye of Cthulhu where most warriors start out? Sure, it's killed a lot of people before, but it's also been killed many times. Maybe...maybe I could too._

Zia smiled. _Yeah! I've got pretty_ _good items! And I've got its item- I could fight the Eye of Cthulhu_ tonight!

She looked to the sky to estimate what time it was. It appeared to still be early morning- it would still be a quite few hours before night. Frowning, Zia tried to think of things she could do to pass the time. For starters, she decided to to listen to what Brett said and build more houses- she built a total of three new houses, made of simple Wood items- two to the west and one more to the east.

Despite all the building, it was still only a little under noon by the time Zia finished. She sighed- the one time she actually _wanted_ the day to go by quickly!

Then, Norkas walked up to her. "Hey, Brett told me to get you. There's some freaked out guy who showed up, and Brett figured he'd want to talk with the person who's basically the landlord."

"A guy?" Zia asked. "Uh- sure, I'll go check it out."

She made her way westward, wondering who this mysterious person was. Zia went past the two new houses and came across Brett and Kayla, the former being hugged by a blubbering man. He had brown skin and blue-green eyes, and wore a sky blue robe with purple over the chest and gold trim. On his head, he wore a purple turban with a small red jewel in the center. His clothing seemed to be rather dirty and even flayed in a few places.

"I have only stepped foot here for less than a day, and I was nearly _violated_ by those pests!" the man cried. "I barely made it here with my life! And just look at my clothes, the colors are _ruined!"_

"I...I'm sorry, man," Brett said, giving the man an awkward pat on the back.

Kayla seemed as though she was trying to check the man for any injuries, but that would prove difficult due to him clinging to Brett. "Quit your whining and just let me examine you! God..."

"Um- hi?" Zia spoke up as she approached. "What's going on?"

The man let go of Brett and turned to Zia, seeming to regain his composure. "Are you the one who owns this land?"

"Well, I built the houses," the girl replied.

"Good enough!" the man replied. "Allow me to introduce myself- I am Abdosir, and I bring you the richest of colors in exchange for your riches!"

"So you sell paint?" Zia paint.

"No no- Dyes!" Abdosir corrected her. "Which is like paint, but for clothes and armor! Just because someone decides to go hunting monsters doesn't mean they can't look fabulous!"

"So then...what's a Dye Trader doing in a place like Terraria?" Brett spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, if you must know, I heard talk of Terraria having some strange and rare kinds of flora that you can't find anywhere else," Abdosir began. "I could only imagine what kind of beautiful Dyes I could make with such plants. And so, I came here to collect some. But what I hadn't heard were the kind of creatures that live here!"

He went on, "It was terrible! As if the forests weren't bad enough, I came across a land of sickly purple with chasms that seemed bottomless! And there were flying monsters that looked as though they wanted to eat my very soul! Long worms that tried to devour me whole!"

Brett seemed surprised at this statement. "You said the place was...purple?"

"Yes! And not a very pleasant shade, mind you," the Dye Trader replied. "That wasn't even the end of it! The desert that I came here from was full of Vultures and giant bugs that charged and swarmed! I'm lucky I made it here!"

"It sounds like it," Kayla stated. "Which is why you should do what the good Nurse says and _let me do my job."_

"Of course, my apologies," Abdosir said, nodding. "But, after that's done...is there a place I could stay while I do my work? I...don't think I could last long out there alone, with those creatures roaming about..."

"Yeah, there are some vacant houses," Zia replied, nodding.

"Good to hear! Thank you, my friend!" Abdosir replied cheerfully before following Kayla to the 'infirmary'.

"...Purple...?" Zia muttered to herself.

"The Corruption," Brett said. "He must have been to the Corruption. I didn't know it was beyond the desert, though..."

Shrugging, the man turned to walk back to the house, leaving Zia to her own devices. She had heard of the Corruption in the past, mostly from her parents and Andrew, and even then it was rather vague- she could hardly remember any information on it. To top it off, this Corruption area was apparently to the west, past the desert. Purple ground, flying and worm monsters...what kind of place was it?

Then, Zia got an idea. Since she was so curious about it...why not take a look? It would certainly pass the time until night, since she'd have to traverse a desert to get to the Corruption, according to Abdosir. Plus, maybe she'd find something interesting, like a Chest or something.

Zia smiled a little- she knew what she was going to do today.

* * *

The way to the desert wasn't too dangerous. Past the now covered pit, the land was mostly flat and fraught with trees. A few Slimes went towards her, but after a few swings of her Broadsword they were quickly dispatched. There was a miniature lake in her path that seemed to go down rather deep, which she was able to jump over. Eventually, the land seemed to slope upwards, and there weren't as many trees. Zia then came across a rather Strange Plant- it had large, red-orange leaves. Thinking Abdosir might find this plant interesting, she decided to harvest it.

Once she had collected the plant, Zia kept going, and noticed the ground started to change. It was still sloped upwards slightly, but it began to be speckled with spots of sand. The amount of sand grew, and the heat in the area was increasing. Eventually, sand was all Zia could see, along with multiple cacti scattered. No doubt, this was the desert. Of course, her destination was on the other side, so forward she went.

The ground seemed to level off at this point. A large bird was perched ahead of her near a cactus, a Vulture, and it stated at her hungrily. Zia kept a hand over her Iron Bow, just in case the bird attacked. Sure enough, when she got closer, the Vulture took off and tried to divebomb her. Luckily, it only took a few Arrows for her to shoot it down. Zia walked on- the blue, winged boots she had found in the ice cave, her Flurry Boots, allowed her to move much more quickly. She noticed a few little blue plants growing on the ground. If she remembered correctly...this was a plant called Waterleaf (her mother had been particularly fond of it). She decided to collect some of these too- maybe she could make something with them.

Zia encountered another hungry Vulture, which fell to more Arrows. She then noticed a pair of Slimes hopping towards her, but these ones were the color and texture of sand. Zia ran towards the Sand Slimes, her Silver Broadsword ready to strike. The two Slimes acted no different from other Slimes, but were actually rather durable against the Sword. It took several hits from the blade to take out one of them, and the other Sand Slime managed to get one hit on Zia before dying.

After several more minutes of walking, Zia noticed some kind of opening in the ground. A pit- a very, _very_ large pit. As she got closer to investigate, she noticed the pit was just as deep, and it seemed to narrow as it went deeper- although Zia couldn't see the bottom. Knowing she'd have to fly to be able to make a jump like that, she got out her Wood Platforms and began to make a bridge of sorts.

Once she was about halfway across the opening, some kind of round projectile flew at Zia from below, barely missing her face. She yelped and jumped back, shouting, "Ah! What was that!?"

After a few moments, no follow-up attack came. Zia tentatively poked her head over the edge of her makeshift bridge to see what had attacked her. To the left, attached to the wall of the pit with its head sticking out, was some insectoid creature. Its body was primarily orange with pale yellow rings along its body, with long mandibles of the same color. Its eyes were round were round and red, and attached to the sides of its head.

Zia furrowed her brow. What was that thing called, again? Antlion? Well, she didn't have too much time to think about it- because, while she pondered, the Antlion fired another projectile at her, striking her in the face. She fell back with a yelp, as well as a sore nose.

Zia growled and dusted her face off...before frowning. "What the...? Is this sand?"

Shaking her head, she growled and took out her Bow. She cautiously approached the edge of the bridge and began to shoot at the Antlion. Occasionally, the insect creature would fire another sand projectile at Zia, who sidestepped backwards to dodge it. Several Arrows later, the monster had been defeated. Once it was dead, Zia was able to finish her Platform bridge across the pit and continue onwards.

The rest of the desert seemed to steadily slope downwards from then on. Aside from a few Sand Slimes and Vultures, Zia didn't face much more opposition. Eventually, she noticed another change in the environment. The sand became a pale purple color, and the cacti became purple and more wicked-looking. She looked around, thinking to herself, _Huh...that's a weird color. Could this be the Corruption...?_

Soon, the sand turned to purple stone and the cacti became tall trees with pale indigo bark and purple leaves. This was _definitely_ the Corruption Brett had mentioned. Zia looked around, one hand on her Broadsword should something come to attack her. She stopped- something was in her path. A small, but deep, chasm was opened in front of her. Much like the pit in the desert, this one seemed bottomless...but unlike the desert one, this chasm gave Zia an almost foreboding feeling...

She was able to jump over the chasm with ease coming to an area with purple grass instead of stone. It wasn't long, however, before she encountered another chasm- this one much bigger. Zia grimaced and said to herself, "I...don't think I'll be able to jump over that...even with these Boots..."

Suddenly, a shadow passed over her. Zia looked up to see a creature circling her- it was small and had a vaguely kite shaped body, which was a sickly brownish-purple color. It had one large green eye, with several smaller eyes scattered on its body. A few little green hair-like tendrils trailed behind it, and it had a pair of mandibles on the front. After circling for a few more seconds, the creature charged at Zia.

The girl growled and swung at the flying monster, hitting it in the face and sending it flying back. Zia then quickly switched to her Bow and shot at the creature. When it got close again, she dispatched the monster with one more swing of her sword. The creature made a sick squishing sound as it died, leaving a green goo on Zia's sword as well.

"Okay...green blood is gross..." Zia muttered to herself, flicking the substance off her blade. Abdosir mentioned something about flying monsters here...apparently, they tried to 'eat his very soul'. Eater of Souls- that's what she would call those things from now on! For such creepy monsters, the name had a nice ring to it. Zia looked around- she couldn't cross the chasm, and she definitely wasn't going down into one any time soon. She looked to the sky- it was some time in the evening, by the looks of it. It would be night soon...

"Hm...well, I at least got to see the Corruption, as dark and gross as it is..." Zia said to herself, nodding and turning to head back...before she saw more creatures surrounding her. There were six Eaters circling her- one small, three medium, and two large...and they looked hungry. Zia immediately drew her Iron Bow and fired at the smallest Eater of Souls, missing a few times...then realized she was out of Arrows.

"Oh...oh shit," Zia said to herself, eyes wide with fear. She drew her Silver Broadsword as two Eaters charged at her. She knocked them back with one swing and tried to go in for another, only to feel mandibles digging into her back. With a shout, Zia spun on her heel and slashed the monster away. A fourth Eater of Souls tried to attack her from above, but got knocked to the ground in the process. Zia was able to get another hit in before the creature flew away.

Two large Eaters charged at her from both sides. Zia tried to jump over the one in front of her, only to trip over its back and face plant onto the purple stone. This allowed the Eaters to hit her in the back again, almost sending her flying into the smaller chasm. Zia immediately stood and was about to jump over to try and escape, only to be hit by another Eater of Souls in front of her. With another shout, she batted that one away with her sword and jumped across the gap, the monsters still giving chase.

The Eater in front tried to attack again, but Zia ducked under it, sending it flying towards its friends. The swarm of Eaters charged at the girl, who swung at them with her blade. Most were knocked back and the smallest one was even killed, but one managed to get a hit on Zia again. This one, too, was knocked back. Once all the monsters were knocked back, she immediately turned and ran to escape the swarm of monsters. They gave chase, but Zia's Flurry Boots have her a boost in speed and allowed her to outrun them into the desert.

* * *

It wasn't until Zia made it back to the desert pit that she turned around to see if the Eaters had followed her. It seemed she was in the clear- they must have preferred to stay in the darker Corruption. She sighed in relief and sat down, saying to herself, "That was terrible...I can see why Abdosir was so freaked out by it. Thank goodness for this armor..."

She looked to the sky again- it was still evening, maybe dusk. Zia decided it would be a good time to head home...but she chose not to use a Recall Potion. Rather, she'd go by foot- that way, it would be closer to night when she got back. Besides...she was surrounded by blocks of Sand- which she could use in her Furnace to make Glass for windows! Thus, she harvested away at the Sand, calmed down from her encounter in the Corruption and eager for her new upcoming battle.

* * *

 **A/N: And thus, the chapter is done! So, I guess that was nice- we got introduced to two new biomes, the desert and Corruption (dangerous place for new players), and a new NPC! Abdosir the Dye Trader! And now, we can add a new count to the Near-Death Counter!**

 **Zia Near-Dea** **th Counter: 4 (Eater of Souls swarm)**

 **And next chapter...things are gonna get really good. I'm not gonna say anything, but it's gonna get intense! Things are gonna get REAL! Again, I suppose, because the first time was back in Chapter 4. I'll try not to delay the new chapter too much this time, and I hope to see you all then! See ya!**


	10. Eye on You

**A/N: GYAHAHAHAHA! At last...the time has come! This is another chapter I've been looking forward to writing...because it introduces yet another of my favorite aspects of Terraria! And like I said last time, things are gonna get real (again) in this chapter...I hope you're ready for some action! YEEEEAAAH, IT'S TIME FOR A BOSS FIGHT! IT'S PROBABLY GONNA END BADLY BUT YA NEVER KNOW, WHOO!**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _NexusXV:_ OH GEEZ NOT THE PUN NYMPH.**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Too late, her heart is already set on beating down demonic body parts. And give Zia a break, she's not _that_ incompetent! ...Hopefully. **

* * *

**Chapter 9: Eye On You**

Zia walked into her house, the sky's blue slowly morphing into purples as the sun set. She had just come back from Abdosir's place, having given him the Strange Plant she had found.

"You bring me a beautiful, rare flower...yes, yes?" Abdosir had began after examining the plant. "Take this bottle of special dye for your troubles, friend!"

After receiving the three Dye bottles, which really only made her armor super reflective, Zia had spent the rest of the evening making Glass and then Glass Walls for windows. Using her Wood Hammer, she took out square portions of the wall and replaced them with glass. By the time she was done, the sky was significantly darker. She'd have to get going soon. Zia sat at the table, examining the Suspicious-Looking Eye as she waited for the night to start.

Brett walked in a few moments later. "Hey, Zia! Nice job with the windows, by the way."

The girl nodded in response, not really looking up to acknowledge the man. Brett took notice, evidently, and asked, "Hey, what's got you so entranced? Find something cool while you were out?"

"Hm? Oh, no," Zia responded. "Just looking at this."

Brett looked over Zia's shoulder, seeing the Suspicious-Looking Eye. "Whoa...is that the-"

"Yup- it summons the Eye of Cthulhu," Zia replied. "At least, that's what Frederick told me."

"You asked _Frederick_ about it...?" Brett asked, looking a little hurt by this new information, before shaking his head. "When did you even get that?"

"A day or two ago, when I went into the ice caves," Zia explained. "I'm...going to use tonight."

"U-Use it?" Brett asked, his eyes practically popping out of his skull. "Hehe, uh- Zia? What do you mean by 'use it'?"

"I'm going to summon the Eye of Cthulhu," Zia replied simply. "I mean, I'll have to do it eventually, right? And I've got some good stuff, so..."

"Maybe, but..." the man began, shaking his head. "Zia, listen- I love a good fight with body parts as much as the next guy, but you shouldn't be so light on preparations!"

"I was gonna guy some new weapons from Frederick and improve my Arrows," Zia said. "And I've got these Flurry Boots, which help me move faster."

"B-But, ah..." Brett stuttered, rubbing the back of his head with a grimace. "Zia. You shouldn't fight the Eye right now. You're not ready, you need to-"

"Brett! I appreciate the concern, I really do..." the girl began, standing with a frown. "But...you're still not my Guide. And besides, I don't even think you've been in Terraria in a while, right?"

"Uh...well, you're right, but-" Brett replied, his voice becoming increasingly fearful.

"So do you even remember how these more powerful monsters work?" Zia asked, narrowing her eyes. "I'm sorry, but I don't think whatever advice you have for me will really be helpful."

As the girl turned to leave, Brett insisted, "But still, you're trying to go up against something stronger, this could be life or death! Don't just rush out there mindlessly, you could be put in danger! You're getting in over your head, you could be killed! Eaten, maybe!"

Zia stopped just before exiting the house as the man spoke those last words. She hadn't noticed before, but Brett sounded so much like Andrew when he was worried...his words were even similar to what Andrew had said to her the night he died.

 _...No. This is different._ Zia mentally told herself. _I'm not getting anyone else involved in this- it's just me and the Eye of Cthulhu. Whatever happens to me, good or bad, it's my fate alone._

Without another word to the distraught Brett, Zia exited the house into the young night.

* * *

Zia made her way east, towards the flat area full of trees on the other side of the lake. She had bought some Shurikens, Wooden Arrows, Torches, and Lesser Healing Potions from Frederick, combining the Arrows and Torches to make Flaming Arrows. Now, after making sure there were no monsters around, she pulled out the Suspicious-Looking Eye...

 _Wait...how do I actually_ use _this?_ Zia asked herself, frowning. She examined the item again- it had the appearance of a regular eye, no matter how she looked at it. No buttons, switches, or any odd mechanics on it.

"...What if I just...?" Zia said to herself, before holding up the Eye to the night sky. At first, nothing happened...and then the eye started to wriggle in her hands. Shouting, the girl drew her hands back and dropped the Eye on the ground in disgust. The Eye blinked a few times, before flying up like a regular Demon Eye. It looked around, before flying off into the night.

"..." Zia stood where she was, wondering what exactly that had accomplished. Moments later, an unearthly roar filled the air. Zia immediately drew her Iron Bow, preparing a Flaming Arrow. Something flew over her- it appeared to be very large and round, a giant eyeball. It had a blue iris, with some green around a black pupil. Several red veins spread up its round body, and it had a few short red tendrils trailing behind it. There was no doubt in the girl's mind...

The Eye of Cthulhu had awoken!

"Alright you one-eyed freak..." Zia growled, drawing her Iron Bow as the Eye of Cthulhu flew over her. "Time to die!"

The Eye of Cthulhu didn't do much at first- it just hovered directly above the girl, keeping its unblinking gaze on her. This allowed Zia to rapidly fire her Flaming Arrows directly at the flying monster. After a few moments, however, a _squish_ ing sound was heard and something flew towards her. It was a tiny eye, greatly resembling the Suspicious-Looking Eye, and it was quickly making its may towards Zia.

She took out her Silver Broadsword and was able to take out the eye with one swing. However, as the Eye of Cthulhu continued to float over her, two more of its Servants were released and flew at Zia. Growling, she slashed at the eyes and killed them quickly as well. She then grabbed her Bow and kept firing at the Eye itself. For a few moments, it just took fiery onslaught...before, with a sudden burst if speed, charging right at Zia.

She yelped and was knocked back from the hit. The Eye of Cthulhu flew at her again, but this time Zia saw it coming and managed to duck under the round body. The monster spun itself around in midair and flew at her one more time. Zia jumped back, barely dodging this third ramming. As the Eye of Cthulhu made its way back into air, the girl swung at it with her Broadsword to get some more damage in.

The Eye launched another Servant towards Zia. She prepared her blade to strike...before something else knocked her back. She swiftly turned around, only to see a pair of Zombies lumbering towards her. Zia shouted at them, despite knowing they wouldn't understand, "Oh come on! Can't you see I'm in the middle of something!?"

She utilized her Shurikens to take out the Zombies, but by that time three more tiny eyeballs had been summoned and were swarming around Zia. She swiped with her sword once, taking out one of them, but was thrown back when the Eye of Cthulhu rammed into her again. Grimacing, she cut down two more Servants before barely dodging the next charge. She took out the last one as the Eye flew at her again, very close to the ground. Zia, realizing she couldn't duck under the attack, used her Flurry Boots to run at the flying eyeball and tried to jump over it. Unfortunately, she couldn't quite jump that high, and ended up getting caught on the Eye of Cthulhu's body and face planting on the ground behind it.

Zia grimaced as she stood, quickly downing a Lesser Healing Potion. At the same time, two of the Eye's Servants were flying at her...as was a random Demon Eye. She manged to take out the little eyes quickly, but the Demon Eye was tougher. Zia didn't have the time to take on the other eye, as the Eye of Cthulhu launched another Servant. Choosing to ignore the Demon Eye, she used her Iron Bow to dispatch the Servant, then attacked the Eye of Cthulhu with the Flaming Arrows. The monster charged at her again, but Zia managed to get past it.

The Eye flew at her once more, yet the girl was trying to outrun it with her Flurry Boots. She would have made it, too...if she hadn't forgotten about the Demon Eye. It swooped down on her, hitting her in the back of her head and knocking her down. This allowed her to be struck by the Eye of Cthulhu, even dragged across the ground a bit. She quickly stood up, then shot down the Demon Eye with her Bow. Turning on her heel, she hurled several Shurikens at the Eye of Cthulhu as it returned to hovering above her.

It spawned several more Servants, but they were taken out by the Flaming Arrows. Zia didn't let up the Arrow assault, the flames curling around the Eye's body illuminating the night. When it tried to ram into her again, she jumped to side and slashed at it with her sword. The Eye of Cthulhu tried to strike her one more time, only to get hit with many more Arrows. Finally...it stopped. The Eye let out a roar as it started to spasm about, practically spinning in place.

"YES!" Zia shouted triumphantly. "EAT IT YOU NOCTURNAL MENACE!"

She drank a Lesser Healing Potion again before turning to walk away, a joyful smile on her face. She thought to herself, _I can't believe it...I actually took down a really powerful monster! The Eye of Cthulhu! I'm practically a full adventurer now! This is so great!_

Zia was interrupted, however...when she heard another loud, furious roar behind her. She turned around...and froze. "W-Wha...!?"

The Eye of Cthulhu wasn't dead. In fact, it looked different. Gone was the blue iris with a black pupil- instead, it was replaced by a huge, bloody mouth, filled with long, yellow, razor-sharp teeth. It roared, and flew straight at Zia. Screaming in terror, she launched a barrage of Arrows at the monster. The Eye didn't slow down, however, and tried to swallow the girl. She dove out of the way, swinging her Broadsword at the monster. She missed, and the Eye of Cthulhu charged at her again, biting into Zia's armor and then hurling her several feet away.

She hit the ground hard with a grunt, but hopped back up. She fired more Flaming Arrows, but the Eye of Cthulhu was flying around too fast for her to be able to focus on a target. The creature roared again and charged at her once more. Zia ran back, towards the lake, continuing to fire Arrows. Most of them missed the flying monster as it slowly closed the distance between them. The girl tried to keep running...only to run into more trouble.

Two more Zombies blocked her path. Zia threw more Shurikens at them, hoping to quickly dispatch them, but then heard another roar. The Eye of Cthulhu struck her from behind, sending her flying into the Zombie pair. They clawed at the parts of her body that weren't protected by armor, but Zia was able to take down the monsters with her Broadsword. However, the Eye of Cthulhu was still giving chase. Zia, realizing how close the creature was, lashed out with the Silver blade.

This turned out to be a mistake. Her armor plating got caught on one of the Eye's fangs, causing her to be lifted into the air. The Eye thrashed about, eventually throwing Zia off and causing her to fall into the lake below. She initially landed on her back with a shout, immediately sinking beneath the surface. Zia frantically looked around...this wasn't good. She was a lot slower while underwater, and something told her the Eye of Cthulhu didn't care how much water it swallowed, so long as it could swallow _her._ She quickly drank another Lesser Healing Potion and tried to quickly make her way to the other shore.

The Eye of Cthulhu had other plans, however. Zia immediately heard the monster breaking through the water towards her, before grabbing her in its jaws and hurling her into the air again. With a loud _splash,_ Zia burst out of the water and hit the dirt shore with a _thump._ The Eye followed close behind, hovering over her for a few moments. The girl fired more Flaming Arrows at it, but she was running low on those. The Eye of Cthulhu dive bombed her, which Zia was able to dodge. However, the flying creature wasted no time charging again, managing to sink its large fangs into the girl's unarmored leg.

Zia shrieked in pain, trying to stab the Eye with her Broadsword. It proved to be futile, however, and the monster began to viciously thrash her about. Finally, it threw her to the side, causing her to slam into a tree and fall to the ground. She groaned, sitting up, but unable to stand. She still felt sick, so she couldn't drink another Potion to heal herself. The Eye of Cthulhu roared again, charging at Zia one more time with intent to kill.

 _Oh no...no!_ Zia thought, her eyes wide with terror. _No no no NO NO-!_

Then, the area began to get brighter. Zia looked towards the horizon- the sun was coming up. The Eye of Cthulhu stopped instantly, roaring in the direction of the sun. As the light of dawn grew, the monster shrank back to stay in the dark. Finally, with one last angry roar, the Eye of Cthulhu flew away to wherever it had come from, leaving Zia behind.

"..." Zia, eyes still wide, remained on the ground where she sat completely shell-shocked. Her mind had gone blank, as if all of her ability to think had been scared off. She stayed by that tree for a while, her heart still pounding so hard her chest ached, trying to register what had just happened. Finally, she regained her senses, dragged herself to her feet, and proceeded to limp back home.

* * *

 **A/N: YEAH, BOSS BATTLES! WASN'T THAT EPIC!? YEAH IT ENDED IN TOTAL FAILURE BUT ACTION WHOO-HOO! And now, we can add yet another number to the Counter!**

 **Zia Near-Death Counter: 5 (Eye of Cthulhu, specifically its second form)**

 **So, the Boss enemies...they're pretty cool. They can be hard as HECK to beat, but they're pretty cool. And the EoC is just the tip of the iceberg! But, ah, one thing at a time. Just know that I really like the Boss enemies in Terraria, and next to the NPCs, they're another favorite part of game for me.**

 **AND NEXT TIME...MORE STUFF! Aftermath stuff! How much flack will Kayla give Zia for getting hurt like she did? What will Brett the Not-Guide do? How many chapters until the rematch? All this and more will be answered...next time!**


	11. Step One

**A/N: Hoi. Welcome back to TToT! I will make that a regular thing somehow!**

 **So...last time, we were introduced to our first boss monster- the Eye of Cthulhu! And Zia failed badly at defeating it (at the very least, she made it to the second phase)! A rematch is inevitable...but what does Zia have to do to better prepare? Let's just see!**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _Mewtation151:_ HOLY CRUD A NEW PERSON REVIEWED.**

 **Anyways...thank you for the kind words! :D And I'm not going to divulge all the information on the death of Zia's parents (at least, not yet)...but I can tell you this- they didn't die to either of the Jungle bosses. And I plan to keep up the awesomeness and writing!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Step One**

It was a little before afternoon when Zia was well enough to leave Kayla's house, after having been patched up by the Nurse in question. When she expressed concerns about being let out so early, Kayla told her to "walk it off" and that "she'd be fine".

Now, Zia sat in her house, contemplating what had happened last night. She believed the armor she wore was good enough- she was wrong. She thought her weapons were strong enough- she was also wrong. She thought other monsters wouldn't bother her while she was fighting an Eldritch abomination- okay, a lot of mistakes were made. And she almost died- _again!_ Her luck could only last so long!

The sound of a door opening alerted Zia to someone's arrival. Brett was silent for a moment, before walking over to her seat. "So, I hear you had a rough night."

"Well, that's one way of putting it..." Zia replied, resting her chin in her hand.

"So...what went wrong?" Brett asked, leaning against the wall.

"..." Zia sighed. "I don't know- I couldn't maneuver good enough I guess, the monsters got in the way, and its...second form thing was _way_ too fast. I could barely even hit it!"

Brett only nodded at her words...before speaking, "...You know...I may not be a walking encyclopedia, but you might find a bit more success if you were to, I dunno...build an arena."

"..." Zia looked up. "What?"

"An arena. All you really need is a lot of Wood, and some Campfires," Brett explained. "Make a pair of Wood columns, with a bunch of rows of Wood Platforms in between. That'll help you dodge attacks and keep most monsters out."

Zia stared as the man explained- who would've guessed he had so much knowledge on arena making? She then asked, albeit a little hesitantly, "Uh...anything else I should improve...?"

"Weeeell, since you asked..." Brett replied, grinning as he pushed off the wall. "First, you need better armor- a full set. You could also go for some better weapons- you've got the right idea with Shurikens, but an Iron Bow can only go so far. Luckily, I know a way to solve both those problems."

"Huh?" Zia asked, tilting her head a bit.

"When you were in the Corruption, did you see any chasm areas?" Brett inquired.

"Yeah- a few, actually," Zia replied. "Why do you ask...?"

"You see...hidden deep in the chasms, there are these spheres filled with the evil energy of the Corruption. These are called Shadow Orbs- and if you smash one of them, you can be granted some strong weapons."

"So...if I want to get better weapons to defeat the Eye..." Zia repeated. "I have to go _back_ to that purple chaos? _And_ I have to go into a bottomless pit?"

"Oh, they're not bottomless," Brett assured her. "They're just really...really...deep."

"Oh well in that case I'll be _completely fine!"_ Zia replied with mock cheerfulness.

"You will be, don't worry," the man assured Zia. "Just be really careful when going down. Get some Rope if you need to."

"...Will do," Zia replied, standing and preparing to head out...before asking, "Wait. How do I smash a Shadow Orb?"

"Oh, all you really need is a Hammer- or something that blows up," Brett explained. "And whatever you do! Do NOT break three of them yet! Only break one, maybe two if you're feeling bold!"

Zia nodded (despite being a little confused about why she shouldn't break three Orbs), before turning to him one more time. "...Uh...thanks for the advice."

Brett nodded with a chuckle. "See? There _is_ a brain beneath all this hair, you know!"

"..." Zia gave a little chuckle of her own before exiting.

* * *

Once she had bought some Rope and Torches from Frederick and some Bombs from Norkas (according to the dwarf, they could blast through the Corruption's Ebonrock), Zia made her way west again. She didn't face much trouble- Slimes, Vultures, and a few Antlions were all that stood in her path to the Corruption. Eventually, the dry purple landscape reared its head once more. Zia looked around to see if any Eaters were around- so far, there were none.

Zia jumped over the smaller chasm and approached the larger one- if there were any orbs of evil energy in these pits, they would surely be in one of the bigger and deeper ones. As the girl approached the opening, two shadows passed over her. Two Eaters of Souls, both of them small, hovered over her intently. Zia immediately drew her Iron Bow and fired up at the monsters. Despite being set on fire, the Eaters still flew right towards her. She was able to send both flying with a swing of her Broadsword, then finished both off with a few more Flaming Arrows.

With the creatures dead, Zia made her way towards the edge of the chasm. Just like before, she couldn't even see the bottom- but according to Brett, a bottom existed, and that was where she needed to go. She put down a bit of Rope, long enough for her to reach a ledge shortly below, before climbing down. Once down there, Zia climbed down over the edge of the ledge, made sure her Shoe Spikes were secure, then began to slowly slide down the side of the chasm.

"...Hehe...okay, this is fine..." Zia said to herself as she slowly, _very_ slowly, and anxiously descended. "This is fine, I'm fine! I'm gonna be okay, hahaha oh god I'm gonna die!"

About halfway down, or what Zia assumed to be halfway, the pit began to slant diagonally slightly. Luckily, the side she was on sloped towards her, so she didn't have to worry about the wall disappearing beneath her all of a sudden. Not to mention, it also provided several ledges for her to rest and calm her nerves on. Still, Zia remained cautious and nervous- the deeper she went into the chasm, the darker her surroundings became, and the few Torches she placed only did so much. That meant that a monster could appear above or below her, or even through the walls, and knock her off the side, sending her falling to her death...and Zia would never see it coming.

Soon, she looked down and saw what appeared to be light...faint, purplish light. Zia immediately felt reassured- the light looked farther down, but at least there was likely something down there. Then, something else caught her attention- this time, a sound. The sound of something digging through the Ebonrock, similar to the sound of a Giant Worm. Immediately, Zia's eyes widened, and she tried to climb down faster. However, she wasn't quite quick enough, and something burst out of the purple stone and slammed into her. She couldn't quite make out what it was, but the monster was definitely worm-like, with long mandibles.

It wasn't long before Zia's fears came to pass. She felt herself being thrown off the wall from the monster's impact, followed by her plummeting down the pit. Certain the fall was going to hurt and realizing she couldn't do anything to save herself, she let out a loud, "AAAAH-!"

The girl would realize...she didn't fall very far. Zia found herself lying on her back in a puddle of purplish water, staring up at the opening in the ceiling where she had come from. She had to have only fallen a few meters- not very much height to cause much falling damage. She shakily stood up, examining her surroundings. She was in a long cavern that seemed to extend both left and right. Several objects resembling Pots rested on the ground, partially oozing a green substance. That same faint purple light emanated down the chamber, but Zia still couldn't make out what was causing it. Also, the place still smelled terrible, even worse than it did on the surface- like rotten meat.

Suddenly, the worm monster made another appearance. This time, Zia was able to more clearly make out what it looked like: it was much longer and thicker than a Giant Worm, with the same brownish-purple body color the Eaters had. A pair of long mandibles protruded from its mouth, along with several smaller fangs. A single, green eye stared straight ahead at Zia as it emerged from the stone.

The girl didn't waste time drawing her Broadsword and charging. The worm missed its mark and wound up digging into the ground again, giving Zia the opportunity to slice into its body with her blade. It wasn't enough to kill it, and the monster quickly resurfaced again, grazing Zia's chestplate. A few more swipes from the Silver Broadsword, however, was enough to bring the creature down. She stepped back as the body slowly disintegrated...what did Abdosir say about worm monsters, again? They tried to "devour" him? Well, that's what Zia would call the worms from now on- Devourers.

Zia decided to check out the right side of the cave first, since the purple light seemed to be closer over there. She smashed a few 'Pots', which made a terrible squishing noise when she did, but at least she got a few Coins out of it. Soon, she found this side was a dead end...but it wasn't completely empty. Four...purple spiked structures were clustered together, emitting that same faint light she had seen before. Just getting close to them, Zia felt immense energy from them...yet she was clueless as to what they even were. These couldn't be the Shadow Orbs- they looked nothing like spheres!

"Ugh...maybe they'll be important for me later or something..." Zia muttered to herself as she turned around to explore the other side of the cave. She then saw another pair of Eaters of Souls coming her way- one small and one medium. Zia quickly used her Bow to fire several Flaming Arrows at them, the flames illuminating the gloomy darkness of the Corruption. As a result of being basically cornered, the medium Eater managed to knock her back into the wall. With a slash of her Broadsword, however, Zia pushed it back and managed to finish off the smaller Eater as well. With one last swing, the last Eater was killed as well.

Stepping over the oozing chunks of their flesh left behind (yuck), Zia continued left. This side of the cave was much longer than the right side, with more of the spiked structures (although they weren't as clustered together). She saw a few more large openings in the ceiling- more chasms?- as well as a small cavity in the ground resembling another pit. Zia jumped over that and found a long miniature 'lake' of water right before the cave ended in yet another dead end. She frowned...didn't Brett say Shadow Orbs were deep in the Corruption's chasms? Well, she was literally at the bottom of one of the chasms, which was pretty deep...so, where were they...?

Zia turned around to walk back...then stopped when she got to the water. She hadn't noticed before, but now...she felt something. Much like the energy she felt when she was around the spiked structures, but different. It felt more oppressing, foreboding- however, it was faint. Zia focused, hoping to pinpoint where it was coming from. After a few moments (and poking her head out of the water to breathe), she realized it was coming from beneath her. How was she going to get through all that Ebonrock?

 _Oh, wait!_ Zia thought to herself. _I can use the Bombs! That's what I bought them for!_

She pulled one of the explosives in question and set it down at the bottom of the water. She then moved quickly to get out of the blast radius, before a loud boom was heard. Water was thrown into the air and drained into the resulting cavity, and pieces of Ebonstone were strewn about. Zia walked over to the crater- no Shadow Orb, and she could still feel its energy. She placed another Bomb down and quickly got out of range. Another boom, more debris and drainage, and Zia went to check again.

This time, she saw a small opening in the ground. She tried to get a better look at what was inside...and nearly jumped. There was a flashing, purple light inside of a small round chamber, the source being a dull purple sphere. Now, the dark feeling was as strong as ever...no doubt, this was what Zia was looking for. This was a Shadow Orb. She placed down one last Bomb, which exploded again seconds later. It didn't destroy the Shadow Orb, but created an opening large enough for Zia to go into the now flooded chamber.

 _Not sure what kind of new weapon this thing will give me..._ Zia though to herself as she pulled out her Wooden Hammer. _Well, only one way to find out!_

She struck the Shadow Orb as hard as she could with the Hammer...and only did minimal damage to the Orb. She swung a second time- still no sell. Third time's the charm? Nope- still only cracks in the Orb's surface. Zia swung a fourth time...and only then did the Shadow Orb finally break. It released a burst of purple energy resembling smoke, and Zia involuntarily shivered as a horrible chill went down her spine. Still, the feeling went away as something formed out of some of the smoke. Zia eagerly reached for her reward as the item took solid form...into a regular, simple Musket.

 _...This is it? I destroyed an orb containing pure dark energy for a normal gun?_ Zia thought, bewildered. She checked the inside of the Musket to see if it was loaded- it wasn't. _This thing doesn't come with any ammo!_

As if on cue, a hundred pellet objects rained down onto Zia's head, despite the fact that she was underwater. She checked what had fallen on her- one hundred Musket Balls, ammo. Zia nodded in thanks to...something, she supposed, before gathering up the bullets. Figuring this was what Brett wanted her to find, the girl made sure sure she had everything before drinking a Recall Potion to head home.

* * *

Zia found Brett outside, speaking with Kayla and Frederick. She walked over, smiling. "Hey, I found it!"

"You did?" Brett asked, walking over. The girl nodded, showing him the Musket. The man grinned and replied, "Haha! Look at that, you did!"

"Huh? That's what you went out to find?" Frederick asked, frowning. "Ah, if you wanted a gun, I coulda sold you one!"

"You sell guns?" Zia asked.

"...No," Frederick replied in a murmur. "But I could have bought one off of someone who did and sold it to you!"

"Settle down, what's done is done," Kayla said to the Merchant before turning to Zia. "You didn't get nearly maimed again, did you? Because I just cleaned the blood off the Bed from your battle last night."

"I'm okay, no need to worry about the sheets," Zia replied.

"So, now that you've got that Musket and smashed an Orb..." Brett began. "You can go on to the next step in your rematch preparation!"

"But, uh, before you do that..." Kayla said to Zia after sniffing a bit. "For all of our sakes, can you take a bath or something?"

"Yeah- you smell like dead bodies and the souls of the damned," Frederick added, plugging his nose.

"...Abdosir especially might get kinda mad," Brett stated, more to himself than Zia.

"Blame the water and the flesh Pots, not me!" Zia replied indignantly, before sighing and heading off to wash up. Adventuring and training could wait, she supposed.

* * *

 **A/N: Another trip to the Corruption turns out better than last time, it seems! And now, Zia has gained access to the powerful, the deadly, the awe-inspiring...Musket! Yeah, compared to the other equipment you can get from the Shadow Orbs, the Musket seems rather...normal. But hey, it gets the job done, so it's good to have. Not to mention, now that Zia has a firearm and broke a Shadow Orb, some other things can happen...but all will be explained in due time.**

 **For now, the next chapter- the next step! What is this other step? Probably not what you're thinking...but maybe. Until then, make sure you come back for the next chapter! More exploration, yeah!**


	12. Heartbreaker

**A/N: Welcome back! Can you believe this story has over 200 views? This story is slowly moving up in the world...of Terraria fanfiction. It's only a matter of time before this story becomes recommended on Terraria's TV Tropes page! *sniffle* ...Wow, I'm getting too ambitious for my own good, aren't I. Let's just focus on the current chapter, shall we?**

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 ** _Mewtation151:_ YEAH CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Both with Brett and knowing when not to smash things you're not familiar with!**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Well, you can't make air fresher in Terraria, so. And you will get more NPCs, trust me I've got it all planned out, have patience!**

 ** _LeoRayz:_ Technically this review was for the Prologue, but it was just so nice I gotta respond to it here, thank you so much! :3 **

* * *

**Chapter 11: Heartbreaker**

Zia had washed up and was back in the house, sitting at the table across from Brett. "So, what's this 'next step' you mentioned?"

"Glad you asked!" Brett said, smiling confidently. "Well- this step technically has two parts, but it's one main thing with a smaller thing, kinda more like a 'kill two birds with one stone' situation, just to kinda-"

 _"Brett,"_ Zia said, to get the man back on track.

"Right, sorry," Brett replied sheepishly. "Anyways! The main part- you need to improve your strength. Did you find a heart-shaped red stone underground when you went into the ice cave?"

"Uh- yes," Zia replied. "Wait, let me guess- I have to go find more?"

"You got it! Life Crystals- the best way for an adventurer to get their strength up!" Brett explained. "Let's see...if you already found one, I'd say...four more should be enough for you to take on the Eye of Cthulhu again."

"Four? Um...I guess I can do that," Zia replied, nodding. "What about the other part?"

"It involves getting another Suspicious-Looking Eye," Brett began.

Zia frowned. "I...don't know about that. I may have lucked out finding one in a Chest, but I don't think that's gonna happen a second time."

"Maybe not...but there's more than one way to get the Eye," Brett replied. "You've killed Demon Eyes, right? Did they drop Lenses?"

"Yeah- I've got one," Zia explained. "Why?"

"Because you can make a new Suspicious-Looking Eye with six of them," the man explained. "Of course, you'd need to find a Demon Altar to do that, but you can find those easily in the Corruption."

"Demon Altar...?" Zia asked, before remembering something. "Wait! Are those the purple spiky things I saw in the chasm?"

"Probably," Brett replied, shrugging. "But, you should really focus on getting more Life Crystals."

Zia nodded. "I assume they're underground? Like the first one I found?"

"You got it," Brett said, nodding. "They might even glow a little bit, so that'll help you locate them."

"Okay...Heart Crystals, underground, maybe get Lenses if I can," Zia listed out, more as a reminder to herself than Brett.

"And try not to die, please," Brett added with a little smile.

"I'll...definitely try," Zia replied, returning the smile a little bit before turning to walk out the door.

* * *

Zia still didn't really want to go down into the first cave, mostly out of fear she wasn't strong enough to survive the Hoplites still. So, she made her way back to the ice cave. Along the way, a pair of Demon Eyes trailed after her- which was exactly what she needed. It also gave her the opportunity to test out her new Musket. Zia...wasn't a very good shot, it seemed, although that could be attributed to the Eyes' small size. Despite that, the strong Musket Balls were able to do quite a bit of damage to the creatures, taking them out in a few shots. Only one of them dropped a Lens, though- oh well, she still had two out of six!

Soon, Zia made her way back into the depths of the ice cave, which was still as frigid as before. She made her way down the tunnels, through the chambers and water areas, and made sure to be extra careful on the thin ice age had fallen through before. All the while, she did battle with mostly Ice Slimes and Cave Bats, and a few Ice Bats (which chilled her so many times it wasn't even funny). After all this, she found herself back in the chamber she had left off in- the one with the cabin, where she had found the Suspicious-Looking Eye, and all the Silver Ore.

Zia looked around the room- she hadn't looked around the area too much when she had first entered, mostly because she was focused on the Ore and house. Now, though, it seemed this area was basically a dead end. No other tunnels or openings of any kind...and no Life Crystals.

"Mm...that's no good..." Zia said to herself, frowning. She hadn't seen any other routes on her way down...could this be the end of the caverns? No, it couldn't be! There had to more to these caves, surely- they had to go deeper! The girl turned around and started to walk back...only to hear a faint squeak, from a bat likely. Growling, she pulled out her Silver Broadsword, ready to fight. However...nothing appeared. Zia looked around in confusion- she heard that faint squeaking again, but there was still nothing in the room.

She listened a bit more closely- the noises were there again, soft as they were. It seemed like they were coming from...beneath her? Zia looked down at the icy ground beneath her, furrowing her brow. Then, her eyes widened slightly and she pulled out her Pickaxe. It was just a hunch, but if she was correct...she may have found where the rest of the caves were. She started digging through the layers of ice, taking much of the freezing water with her (curse you, gravity). After several seconds of digging, she found herself tumbling into an opening.

Sure enough, there was another tunnel down here, leading to the right. The water spilled out into the long room, soaking the many Cave Bats flying around. They squeaked in anger, and flew at Zia. All it took was a few swings of her Broadsword to kill them, allowing her to continue down the now wet tunnel. The cave was mostly horizontal, but slanted downwards slightly. Zia made sure to keep a Torch out in order to help her see any threats, but she didn't find any other monsters as she walked.

The girl soon found herself in another opening. It seemed to be a crossroads of sorts, only with caves instead of paths. One cave to the right seemed to lead upwards a bit, another cave on the right led down a little, and one to the left led downwards as well, albeit more sloped down. Zia jumped down into the center, looking around- where in the world should she start?

"Okay, this is easy to decide..." Zia said to herself...before saying the age-old 'eenie-meenie-miney-moe' sequence. It wasn't long before a decision was reached- she would take the upper right cave first. She had to use some Rope Coils to get up there, and eventually made her way through the opening. The cave sloped up a bit, but Zia didn't find anything other than Pots that held Coins. A few dead Ice Slimes later, the tunnel began to slant downwards, eventually leading to another opening.

The room was long, and had some Ore on the far side- Silver, it seemed. The opening also allowed Zia to drop down onto the roof of another underground cabin, this one only one room it seemed. She dropped down into the room through the Platforms on the roof, and looked around. A Door to the right, a statue in the shape of a sword to the left, and a Golden Chest in the center. When Zia looked through it, she found some more Lesser Healing Potions, some Silver Coins, and even 4 Gold Bars. In addition, she found a pair of yellow Potions, the bottles being long and slender. Zia wracked her brain, trying to remember what these ones were called...Ironskin, right?

She sighed and headed towards the door. "Man, still no Life Crystals...I swear, it's gonna take forever to find-"

The moment Zia walked out the door, however, she found herself bumping into something. When she looked down to see, lo and behold, a Life Crystal. Zia stared at it in shock, saying to herself, "Now how did I miss this...?"

Shaking her head, she immediately used her Pickaxe to remove the Crystal from its spot, then quickly pocketed it- she'd absorb it once she found the other three she needed to collect. She went over to mine the Silver Ore- 12 pieces in all. Zia looked around to see any other openings. There was a cave to the left, but that seemed to lead back to the chamber she had come from earlier. She spotted another opening in the ground not far from where she had found the Life Crystal. Shrugging, she hopped right into it, grasping a Torch.

This tunnel seemed to make another 'Z' shape, a few Pots containing Coins and Torches scattered about. When she was towards the bottom of the passage, she saw the red glow that signified another Life Crystal. Zia immediately went for it, only to be interrupted when she saw an Undead Viking and an Ice Bat making their way towards her. She immediately took out her Musket and focused fire at the Viking. The bullets did pretty good damage, and was able to finish off the monster with a few swings of her Broadsword. The Ice Bat also didn't last long against the blade, and so Zia was able to walk towards the Life Crystal and collect it.

With a newly renowned confidence after having found two Crystals, the girl made her way forward with a smile. She came to a rather huge opening, with a ledge leading to the start of a mine track. Zia jumped down towards it, seeing a mine cart resting on the tracks. She hopped into it, keeping a Torch out to see, and the cart careened down the steep slope of the tracks. The cave room seemed to speed past very quickly, and Zia barely had time to register the Cave Bats flying towards her. Switching her Torch for her Broadsword, she cut the creatures down as she sped past.

The track leveled off in the air, but Zia could see another drop coming up. She also saw something else...an elevated part of the room, not too big, but on it rested another Life Crystal. However, Zia was unable to slow down enough to jump off and grab it, and so wound up speeding down the track once more. With a shout, she tried to slow down, the wheels on the cart making a screeching sound as she did. Soon, the cart stopped at last...at the actual end of the track. Zia found herself being flung out of the mine cart, through some thin ice, and into the water beneath.

After sulking for a bit, Zia climbed out and made her way back to the mine cart, where she proceeded to slowly and carefully make her way back up the track. Soon, she was above the spot where the Life Crystal was once again, and proceeded to jump out of the cart towards it. She landed safely and utilized her Pickaxe to harvest the heart-shaped object before climbing back into the mine cart and driving it back to the bottom of the track.

"Okay...I just need one more..." Zia reminded herself as she cautiously walked across the thin ice. "Yeah! One more! I can _do_ this!"

Then, she heard a little clicking sound beneath her. She looked down...and noticed a round shadow rapidly growing around her. With a terrified yelp, Zia dove out of the way just as a boulder crashed onto the ground where she had been standing. She sat up, eyes wide- if she had been just a _few_ seconds slower...well, that would have been the worst headache ever. Then, so quickly sat up- the boulder was rolling towards her. With a scream, Zia bolted away from the rolling stone like something out of a movie, ignoring her surroundings. This resulted in her slipping on some ice, and practically flying off the ledge into a large chamber.

She ended up landing through some thin ice and falling into some very deep water. She landed on her feet and stood in the icy water, holding her breath and examining her surroundings. There was an opening to the right, large enough for her to fit through. Zia made her way towards it, although the water in her armor slowed her down significantly. By the time she was presumably halfway down the tunnel, she could almost feel her face turning blue. She had to use her Pickaxe to dig a hole into the ceiling of the cave where she could get some air (a life hack Andrew had taught her during what she called 'The Goldfish Incident').

 _I swear, if there's nothing down here, I'm going to become a Jellyfish serial killer._ Zia thought to herself bitterly. _Either that, or I'll get hypothermia. Neither are very good options._

Luckily, the cave didn't lead to a dead end. In fact, it led to a somewhat small room that was partially dry...and sitting on a snowy ledge just above the water was a fourth Life Crystal. She grinned and said to herself, "Finally! Now I can get out of-"

However, two Ice Slimes stood in front of it, but these ones were different- they were spiky, and slightly bigger it appeared. Zia immediately took out her Musket and fired at the monsters. One took a direct hit, the other hopped over the bullet and launched a few ice spikes at Zia. She backed up to dodge before firing some more, managing to hit both Spiked Ice Slimes. However, they still hopped towards her, floating over the water as they did. Zia fired again, barely managing to dodge their icicle projectiles. With a few swings of her sword, the two Slimes were knocked back, giving the girl the opportunity to fire at them one more time, killing then both.

With a grin, Zia collected the Gel and Coins left behind, but her real goal was sitting right in front of her. A few swings of her Pickaxe later, she had collected her fourth and final Life Crystal (for now, at least). Now that she had all four, she took them out and held all four in her hands. The Crystals all shattered into a red light, one by one, and flowed into her body just like the first time. Zia was feeling stronger and stronger each time- plus, the energy from the Crystals warmed her for a few moments!

When all that was done, Zia pulled out a Recall Potion. She had found and absorbed four Life Crystals- her 'mission' was complete! Now, she had to focus on finding Lenses...that shouldn't be too hard, right? It _had_ to still be night- she may lose sleep, but the quicker she got all the Lenses she needed, the better.

And so, Zia took a quick swig of her Recall Potion and returned home.

* * *

 **A/N: And with that, Zia is at 200 HP! She's on her way to becoming a tank! Or not- give her time guys, she's still kinda new to this. But now that she's got more health, and is hunting for flying eyeballs, what else is there to prepare for? Well, next time, we'll get to see...what...she has to do...dear goodness, this is not one of my better author notes. What can I say, this chapter was just Zia farming for Life Crystals, I've got nothing to say about that! AGH, just please be back for the next chapter. Byyyye!**


	13. From Outer Space

**A/N: I LIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!**

 **Sorry if this chapter seems more delayed than the others- I've just been trying to chill and relax for a bit, I've recently started playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (for the PS4) again, and so I've been addicted to that, I got a new laptop and lost _all_ my Terraria files. My worlds and characters are gone, so all I've got to show for it all are Steam achievements. So, as you can imagine, I've not been in the Terraria mood lately** **.**

 **I've forgotten nothing, however, and I know this story is sorta kinda popular, so here I am to deliver this chapter for your viewing pleasure! So...here we go!**

* * *

 **Review Replies:**

 ** _Mewtation151:_ I don't think Bat enemies are really dangerous (well, some are I suppose)- just very annoying. Much like Zubats, like King said in his one review! **

**_NexusXV:_ Dude. The Meowmere is a Moon Lord drop, _endgame_ item, and Zia hasn't even gotten past the Eye of Cthulhu yet. Settle down.**

 ** _screwUps:_ Eh, four is better than nothing. Thanks for the kind words! Sorry you had to read this the _one_ time I didn't update when I usually do...**

 ** _Imagination_ _is_ _king:_ Well there are no bananas in Terraria so THERE.**

 ** _LeoRayz:_ Again- thank you! Sorry you had to wait so long for this new one.**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: From Outer Space**

It had to be around midnight when it happened. Zia, after returning home, had decided to spend some more of the night hunting down more Demon Eyes. She had fought about five by then, and had only gotten one Lens- still, she was halfway done with collecting materials for a new Suspicious-Looking Eye, so there was a silver lining. Despite that, Demon Eye hunting had been becoming tedious very fast...Zia was considering turning in for the night.

However, the universe seemed to have other plans. At first, it started as a faint flash in the night sky, prompting the girl to look up. Then, she saw what first appeared to be a shooting star...then noticed it was rapidly growing bigger. It flew over her head and the other houses, before seeming to land farther west with a huge boom. The ground even shook a little from the impact of the landing. Zia, concerned, immediately ran back towards the town.

"Who's blowing up stuff without me!?" Norkas shouted, immediately bursting out of his house, carrying a pair of Dynamite sticks.

"What's the meaning of this? Some of us are trying to get their beauty sleep!" Abdosir said, exiting his house as well in a disgruntled manner.

"Guys! What happened!?" Zia hurriedly asked the two men.

"If either of us knew, would we be out here ourselves asking what was happening?" the Dye Trader asked her, frowning. "You've been out galavanting all night, surely you should have an idea of what's occured."

"I...do not, sorry," Zia replied, rubbing the back of her head with an apologetic frown. "But, that's what I came back here to figure out."

"Sounded like a dozen Bombs detonating all at once," Norkas explained, scratching his head thoughtfully. "If that's the case- save some for me."

"Er- will do," Zia assured him before heading west. So far, it seemed whatever had crashed had done so beyond the dirt bridge. She made sure she had her Silver Broadsword out before heading forward. Upon reaching the other side, she noticed another person already investigating the area- none other than Brett.

"Brett? What are you doing out here?" Zia asked the man upon walking up to him, putting away her blade for the time being.

"Hey, Zia! I was wondering when you were gonna show up," Brett greeted her with a wave. "I'm here for the same you are- to find that thing that crashed landed. Luckily, my highly-developed instincts tell me _exactly_ what it was!"

"...Well? No need for suspense, what was it?" Zia asked, crossing her arms.

"Follow me," Brett said simply, walking ahead with the girl following. They came to a flat spot next to the small lake, where there was supposed to be a lot of trees...but instead, there was a wide crater in the ground, and something was faintly glowing inside.

"Wha...?" Zia said to herself, eyes widening. "What happened to the...? And what's with the glow...?"

"Never seen anything like that, huh? Don't worry, just put some Dirt over it when you're done, it'll be fine," Brett stated, walking forward a bit. "That there's one big Meteorite!"

"A Meteorite?" Zia asked, incredulous. "Like, the space rocks?"

"Yup. This is what you have to do next! Harvest some of that Meteorite!" Brett explained. "Then you can make it into some stronger armor and even weapons if you have the stuff for them!"

"Wow! Space stuff!" Zia said eagerly...before frowning. "Wait a second- why didn't you explain these Meteorite things to me earlier?"

"Well...they're weird," Brett began, putting his hands together. "Meteorites in Terraria tend to be pretty rare. But when someone releases the energy of a Shadow Orb, there's a higher possibility of one landing somewhere on the continent. Nobody...really knows the connection- it just kinda happens. Or sometimes a Meteorite won't land at all- hence why I didn't specify at the time, in case one didn't appear."

"Mm- I see," Zia replied, nodding. "So, how exactly do I get the ore? Do I just mine it like normal?"

"Yeah...but you'll need a stronger Pickaxe- Copper will not do," Brett explained. "Hm...do you have enough stuff to make a Gold Pickaxe?"

"Um- I have four Gold Bars?" Zia replied with a little hopeful smile.

"So that's a no," Brett said, frowning. "Ah well. Just get some Dynamite from Norkas and then you'll be set."

He looked around, then added, "Though, maybe you should wait until morning. It'll be pretty annoying to try and mine stuff in the open at night.'

"Why's that?" Zia asked.

"Well for starters, you could be swarmed by those," Brett replied, pointing behind Zia at a Demon Eye trying to sneak up on her. The girl spun around and slashed the monster with her sword, killing it rather quickly. She then noticed the Eye had dropped another Lens- which made four out of the six she needed.

"Alright, now that the killing is done," Brett said, starting to walk off. "I'm going back to sleep."

Zia nodded, and proceeded to follow him back to the house. It seemed Abdosir and Norkas had gone back inside their own homes as well, presumably to sleep. Zia and Brett went inside as well, ready for sleep. Although, Zia herself had a hard time falling asleep- mostly because she was too busy thinking about the idea of equipment made from materials from outer space.

* * *

Early that morning, Zia bought ten sticks of Dynamite from the Demolitionist (who was disappointed to learn the boom was not, in fact, caused by explosives), then made her way back to the site of the Meteorite. Although the glow from the ore was hard to see, the crater was still easily visible. She approached the very edge of the cavity- wow, it was warm up close- and examined the Meteorite. The huge, round stone lined the edges of the crater in a thick layer, leaving a round opening in the middle. It was this opening that Zia threw a Dynamite stick into, which exploded a few seconds later. The blast opened up a wider gap in the Meteorite, sending chunks of ore raining down into the opening.

Using some Ropes, she lowered herself down into the crater, and hopped down onto the space rock's surface to collect all the ore...only to feel a terrible, burning pain in her feet. With a cry of pain, she immediately jumped back onto the Rope and climbed up a bit. Zia grimaced, examining the area. She said to herself, "Aw man...How am I going to do this...?"

Then, she saw something out of the corner of her eye- several somethings, actually. They looked like small, round meteorites, with a fiery orange 'eye' in the middle. As they moved, slow as they did, they left behind a trail of flame particles. These creatures almost looked like heads...little meteor heads. Meteor Heads- not a bad name.

These flaming creatures slowly made their way out of the Meteorite, as if they were living pieces of the stone, and towards Zia. The girl decided now would be a good time to practice using the Musket some more. She made her way up the Rope, back onto solid ground, before firing at the Meteor Heads. There were four trying to get to her in all, but they went down pretty easily to the Musket Balls. Zia even saw one of them drop another piece of Meteorite ore. She climbed down the Rope again, trying to look for a spot to jump down without getting burned.

Unfortunately, any spots of Dirt that would prevent being hurt by the Meteorite's surface were still covered by the glowing mineral. Not to mention, more Meteor Heads were emerging from the stone, levitating towards the girl. Zia took out another stick of Dynamite and threw it into the opening, then climbed up the Rope to avoid the blast zone. With a loud boom, more Meteorite was freed and fell to the ground, and several Meteor Heads were instantly killed by the explosion.

Seeing a patch of normal, non-burning Dirt revealed from the explosion, Zia lengthened the Rope and jumped down. At last, she could collect all the Meteorite that had been loosened by the Dynamite. So far, she had 165 pieces of the warm stone- but would that be enough to make the equipment she needed? Zia looked around- there were still large patches of Meteorite along the sides of the crater, which could be easily broken through with the Dynamite. Before she could throw another explosive, however, she felt something painfully hot ram into her back, almost knocking her into the Meteorite wall.

Zia whipped around with her blade, knocking back two Meteor Heads. Two more were behind them, and a fifth was coming from above her. Using her Musket, she rapidly fired at the swarm of creatures. Each one took a few shots to kill, and Zia ended up missing several shots as well. She frowned, realizing she only had so much ammo left...she'd have to aim wisely. Before any more Meteor Heads could spawn, the girl quickly took out a third piece of Dynamite and threw it at the wall. However, the Dynamite ended up rolling down the side of the crater...and stopped right at Zia's feet.

"...You've gotta be joking," Zia said to herself. Then, with a cry of panic, she ran for the Rope and swiftly climbed up it. However, a Meteor Head was hovering above her, blocking her escape. Zia quickly whacked it away with her Broadsword before continuing to climb. By the time the Dynamite exploded, she was just barely out of the blast radius. Now, there was a smaller crater at the bottom of the hole, with only a few pieces of Meteorite having been revealed. There were still many Meteor Heads swarming about the crater as well, aiming to protect the stone. Zia realized she couldn't blow up stuff and shoot the monsters at the same time, and she would be running out of Musket Balls soon...

"Looks like you've got a bit of a dilemma," a voice said from behind her. With a yelp, Zia immediately whipped around.

"Sorry- didn't know you were the jumpy kind," the man replied, though he had a sly grin on his face. The man had brown skin, bushy dusty-gray hair, and dark green eyes. He wore a grayish-green trenchcoat with a pale red shirt underneath, along with a bandolier of sorts, blue pants, and black shoes. The man went on to say, "Heard some gunshots over here, and came by to see the commotion. I'm guessing that was you?"

"You mean from the Musket?" Zia asked. "Yeah, that was me. Who are you?"

"Me? I'm just your average drifter lookin' for new places to sell my wares," he said casually, shoving his hands in his pockets. "The name's Andre, kid."

"Nice to meet you, Andre- I'm Zia," Zia greeted him with a friendly smile.

"Zia? What is that, a nickname or something?" Andre asked, tilting his head a bit.

"...No," Zia replied, her smile replaced with a frown. "It's just my name."

"Really? Well that's...unique," Andre replied, still seeming rather baffled.

"...Hey, what exactly do you sell?" Zia asked, aiming to change the subject.

"Oh! Looking to buy, huh? Heh, I figured you for the gunslinger type," Andre replied, his grin returning. "Well then- take a look."

He opened his coat, showing his inventory on the inside of it. Musket Balls, some Flintlock Pistols, and...a shark-gun? Zia decided to ask about it later. Right now, she needed to buy those bullets. "Yeah, I need a lot of Musket Balls."

"Well I hope you've the Coin for it- this isn't a movie pal, ammo is extra!" Andre replied. "Seven Copper- each."

Several Copper Coins later, Zia now had 250 Musket Balls. Andre then asked, "What are you even trying to do out here, anyways?"

"Well...I've been trying to get some of that Meteorite ore down there," Zia explained, pointing to the crater. "But these monsters keep swarming around me, and I can't fight them _and_ throw Dynamite at the same time."

"Hm...so, if you had someone doing the shooting for you..." Andre began. "You could finish up this mining thing of yours?"

"...You want to help me?" Zia asked, somewhat surprised.

"Well, if you insist..." Andre replied, shrugging with a chuckle. "But, I won't do it for free. I will help- on two conditions."

"Two?" Zia asked, frowning.

"Yeah. First- saw some houses off to the east. And I've been thinking of staying out here on this weird island of yours- lots of stuff to kill out there, you know?" Andre began. "Think you can help me get one of those houses?"

"Oh- well, yeah, definitely!" Zia agreed, nodding. Since she built the houses, technically making her the landlord, she could guarantee the man a house.

"Good to hear! As for my second request..." Andre went on...before leaning in a bit. "You know any single ladies in that town? I mean, no offense to you or anything, you've got your good qualities. But I'm in my late 20s and you're...13? 14?"

"16," Zia corrected him.

"Close enough," Andre stated dismissively.

"Well...there is Kayla, and I think she's around your age," Zia explained. "But I don't know if-"

"Great, then it's settled! I'll help with your space rock project, you get me a house and a date with this Kayla lady!" Andre said cheerfully, taking out his own personal Flintlock Pistol.

"W-Wait, I never- I-I didn't- oh, nevermind," Zia said with a sigh. "Are you a good shot with that?"

"Please- does a Shark love the taste of trout?" Andre asked, cocking his weapon. "You just blow up what you need to, I'll take care of whatever's flying around."

Zia nodded in thanks, before descending down into the crater once more. She had to figure out how to make sure the Dynamite didn't go anywhere it wasn't supposed to. She looked at the materials she had to offer see if she had anything she could use...before noticing some leftover Gel she had. Zia immediately got an idea- she combined the remaining Dynamite and Gel to make some Sticky Dynamite. As implied with the name, the explosive should stick to whatever it was thrown at.

Time to test it. Three Meteor Heads were making their way towards her, but several shots from Andre's gun were enough to dispatch them. Reminding herself to thank him later, Zia threw the Sticky Dynamite at the chunk of Meteorite. This time, it attached itself to the hot surface, prompting Zia to get back from the blast radius. Seconds later, a fourth explosion rocked the crater, loosening any and all ore from the side.

"Whoa! You were serious about using Dynamite?" Andre asked from above, shocked.

Zia, ignoring the man, jumped up and threw another stick at the top half of the stone that had been spared the blast. Soon enough, more Meteorite was blown off, allowing Zia to collect more Ore. Any Meteor Heads that tried to attack Zia were shot and killed by Andre, allowing the girl to throw one more stick of Sticky Dynamite at another chunk of Meteorite to the right, more towards the ground. She collected that ore too, before deciding she had collected more than enough Ore to make whatever equipment she needed.

"Alright! All done!" Zia announced upon climbing back up the Rope. "Thanks for the help, Andre."

"No problem- just make sure you keep your end of the bargain," Andre reminded her, putting away his Pistol.

"I know, I know," Zia assured him. "Come on, I'll show you to the town."

Andre nodded, then proceeded to follow her back to town.

* * *

"Good to see you, Zia!" Brett greeted. "I take it by the fact that you're not covered in blood means all went well?"

"Yeah!" Zia replied, smiling. "And, I got some help. This is Andre, he's gonna be living here."

"Ooh- hello!" Brett said to Andre. The man looked over Brett before replying, "Yeah, hey. Say, you look like a fun who could use a good pistol."

"Pistol?" Brett asked. Moments later, Andre had opened up his coat again to reveal his inventory. Brett looked over the items, before frowning. "Hm- so you're an Arms Dealer- hey...is that a Minishark?"

"Minishark?" Zia asked. "You mean that shark-gun?"

"Ah, you guys are eyeing my Minishark, huh?" Andre asked, grinning. "For your information, kiddo, this thing is part shark, part gun, all awesome. But, ah, don't ask how it was made."

Brett, however, seemed unimpressed. "Isn't the Minishark outlawed in 11 countries?"

Andre scoffed. "What's a few countries when the world is made up of, like, over 60!"

"Still...don't see why you're trying to bring your illegal stuff out here..." Brett muttered.

Andre narrowed his eyes. "You calling me a criminal?"

"Never said that," Brett stated, putting his hands up.

"Didn't need to- you were probably thinking it," the Arms Dealer added, looking Brett dead in the eye. He honestly looked like he was about to shoot the guy...

"Heeey, Andre! Didn't you want to go meet Kayla?" Zia quickly reminded the man, pushing him away from Brett. "Great she should be in that big house to the left while you're at it why don't you check out your own house it'sthelasthouseontheleftokaybye!"

With that, she sent the disgruntled and slightly confused Andre on his way, before turning to Brett with a small glare.

"...What's that look for?" Brett asked. "I may look lifeless and disheveled, but I have morals you know!"

Sighing with a minor shake of her head, Zia went into her house. It was time for some crafting.

* * *

 **A/N: How about that new chapter, eh? It's almost like I was never delayed! So, new NPC- Andre the Arms Dealer! Don't worry, he only sells a few things that are slightly illegal! But hey, Terraria is a slightly uncivilized land, so anything goes I guess. Now, as for next chapter...it's something we've all been eagerly waiting for...BUT FIRST! AN UPDATE!**

 **I'm gonna be starting school again very soon- a little over a week from now, actually. When that happens, there's a chance these updates might become a bit more delayed in between one another. It's not a guarantee, but if I take some time to post a new chapter...blame school. On that note, I will see you guys next time! Bye!**


	14. All Your Lenses Combined

**A/N: *crawls out of a trash can that also happens to be full of papers* ...So, hey there! Been a bit, huh? When was the last time I updated this, August? September? Either way, all my old documents have been deleted from the Document Manager, do it's at least been over 90 days since the last update. To anyone who decided to bother reading this new chapter- bless you!**

 **So, like I said last time, school started and thus I'd have less time to write new chapters. But I didn't realize just how busy sophomore year would become- as such, I've had basically no free time to write. Well...that's not entirely true. In addition to school stuff, other games have been taking my attention. I discovered Terraria mods which are very fun (support the Calamity Mod, guys!), and my birthday was about a month ago and I got some new games from then, which took up a lot of my attention as well. Then there's the age-old addiction of mine: role playing with my pals! :D**

 **But today- or at least, at the time of writing of this- I had an epiphany. Like a bolt of plasma-hot lightning, I regained the motivation to continue this story! Of course, I had to go back and reread everything to refresh my memory on some of the finer details on what was going on, and there may be a few minor details I still forgot about. Don't worry though, the major stuff I remembered, (as well as noticing several typos...I'm gonna have to be more careful with that in the future) and now I'm ready to continue the story! Are you ready to keep reading? I hope!**

 **Now, what happened last time...? Well, Zia challenged the Eye of Cthulhu- and failed horribly. Now she's getting ready to re-challenge it, from better weapons to more health to new armor. So...let's go!**

* * *

 **Review Replies**

 ** _Flame That Burns In The Dark:_ Thank you for the kind words! I'm sure you weren't expecting this kind of wait, though, but if you're still here- thank you! **

**_Mewtation151:_ Yes, and there's more where that came from! Just, ah, not right now...soon.**

 ** _Imagination is king:_ Hoo boy, you have no idea...**

 ** _Lwk2004:_ You're right about that- it's the whole reason I decided to go out and write this old idea of mine, because this one Terraria story I read a while back encouraged authors in the community to keep writing, since this fandom does need more great stories. **

**In fact, I'm gonna recommend it right here! It's called "There are no days off in Terraria" by thecupcakefox, and it's a pretty good read! ...Though it hasn't been updated in a while, but that's besides the point. Give it some love!**

 **And as for the Bananarang...it's not an _edible_ banana, so there! Or... _is_ it? 0_o**

 ** _E-cat420:_ Thanks, I certainly try. I hope you enjoy what comes next! And are still here!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: All Your Lenses Combined**

And so, 275 pieces of Meteorite and 45 Meteorite Bars later, Zia had managed to put together the armor she needed for her rematch. The armor in question was mostly indigo, with fiery red-orange highlights on the feet, shoulders, and along the center of the helmet. The helmet itself resembled the helmet of a space suit, with two small spikes going back on the sides. Due to being made from such warm material, the armor itself was rather thermal- it even left behind particles of flame whenever she moved! Zia decided to save the rest of the Ore in case she needed to craft something else, which she probably would.

Fully armored, Zia made her way downstairs where Brett seemed to be conversing with Frederick. The two of them turned to glance at the adventurer, the Guide nodding in approval. "See, I'll bet you're feeling tougher already!"

"Mmph- seems like a fire hazard to me," Frederick remarked, frowning at the fire left behind by the armor.

"Well, it seems harmless enough," Zia replied, shrugging. "Besides, the point of armor is to keep the wearer safe, isn't it? As long as it does that, I sat it's fine."

"Ah, whatever," Frederick replied dismissively. "In my day, armor was made from simple steel or iron, you didn't need all that extra stuff! ...Unless you're talking about ventilated armor, which I happen to carry-"

Sensing another one of the Merchant's sales pitches, Brett immediately stood and said, "Heey, Fred! Me and Zia need to talk about something important, so you'll need to wait outside for a bit, thanks!"

"Hmph, fine, I can take a hint," Frederick replied, turning to exit the house. "But keep in mind! If you ever need some good, cool armor on a hot day, you know where to find me!"

With that, the door closed behind him, and Brett turned back to address Zia. "Well! Now that the armor part's out of the way I'd say you're pretty well-equipped to re-challenge the Eye of Cthulhu!"

Zia was surprised- despite how long it had taken her to acquire all this new equipment, it all still felt incomplete. "Are you sure this is it? I don't need anything else?"

"Well, besides that arena I mentioned," Brett explained. "And another Eye to summon the thing, of course."

The girl frowned. "I...still only have four out of the..."

"Six," Brett finished for her. "And that won't be a problem- it's almost night, and you can just hunt down Demon Eyes on your way to the Demon Altar. They're not the rarest creatures in Terraria, you know."

"I know, I know," Zia assured him, already making her way to the door. "And the Corruption is a little while away anyways."

"Exactly!" Brett replied, grinning. "See, you're becoming a living encyclopedia yourself!"

"Ahaha- no need to go that far," Zia replied somewhat sheepishly before walking out the door. She looked to the west, where the desert and Corruption were, then hastily proceeded in that direction.

* * *

It was nightfall by the time Zia reached the desert. As she made her way through the arid land, her new Meteor Armor leaving a glowing fire trail behind her, Zia took notice at the lack of desert creatures roaming about. Vultures, Antlions- none were to be seen, presumably taking shelter from the harsh cold of the desert night. That's not to say the desert was completely devoid of life- in fact, there were two Zombies shambling towards her already.

 _Well, I guess now would be a good time for more target practice._ Zia thought to herself as she pulled out her Musket. Now with more ammunition, she figured she wouldn't need to worry as much about wasting it...as long as she wasn't too bad of a shot. Thus, she made her way forward, shooting at the pair of monsters as she went. Fortunately, they were slow enough targets to hit, and went down with about three Musket Balls each.

Satisfied with the gun's performance, Zia continued on through the desert, keeping an eye out for any Demon Eyes that may appear. Eventually, as she came to the large desert pit, luck seemed to smile on the adventurer as she spotted two Demon Eyes flying right at her. Grinning in anticipation, Zia got her Musket ready and immediately fired on the two monsters. However, she quickly realized these creatures, being smaller and quicker than Zombies, were much harder to hit with the bullets. Well, she managed to get one hit, so that counted for something, right?

Zia jumped back to avoid being struck by the Demon Eyes. "Okay, fine, we'll do this the old-fashioned way!"

She whipped out her Silver Broadsword as the two Eyes made a u-turn towards their opponent. Once close enough, she swung down and struck one of the monsters away. The other made it past her and bounced off her chest, but the strong armor was able to negate most of the damage. She swung again, managing to throw both Eyes back from the strike. She quickly charged forward once more to finish up the fight, and was successful in slaying the Demon Eyes.

Sheathing her blade with a breath of relief, she approached the corpses of the eye monsters. Aside from a few Coins, there wasn't much to find...except for more Lens! Zia immediately reached down to grab the item- only one, but that was still five Lens, which meant she only needed to find one more! She could do this! After all, the night was still young- what could happen?

* * *

Somehow, the Corruption looked even more menacing at night. The dark purple of the grass and trees blended in perfectly to the night's shadows, with no amount of moon or starlight being able to alleviate it. Even the moon itself suddenly seemed to have a faint red hue to it, not too unlike a Blood Moon. Zia didn't waste much time pulling out a Torch- she wouldn't be able to make out her surroundings too well otherwise.

She kept looking around for any Demon Eyes. There were no more that had appeared since she left the desert- however, she saw three Eaters of Souls flying at her from the distance. Zia took out her Musket once again- these things were tougher than most foes, so she didn't know what exactly the Musket Balls would do to them. Nevertheless, she was quick to open fire on the trio of monsters, their medium size and unwillingness to dodge helped with the damage output. The Musket Balls also knocked the Eaters that were struck back somewhat. It didn't keep them completely at bay, however, and soon they were able to fly around the shots right at Zia.

"Geez, why are you guys so hard to kill?" Zia yelled as she grabbed her sword and swung it at two of the Eaters. They were knocked back, and the girl had to duck to avoid a charge from the third Eater of Souls. She then followed up by taking out her Musket again and firing while the monster was trying to turn itself around. It took a few shots, but soon the creature died in a burst of green blood.

Of course, there were still two to go. In fact, there they were, aiming their sickly yellow mandibles at Zia's back. With a surprised yelp, she whacked the two Eaters away with her Silver Broadsword, spraying the green blood onto the violet flora. She then quickly fired at one of the other Eaters, the bullets piercing its flesh and eventually killing it as well. Finally, Zia turned her sights to the last monsters, shooting at it rapidly. The Eater of Souls didn't try to dodge, its main eye fixed on its prey as the Musket Balls kept hitting it. Eventually, after about five hits in total, the last creature had died.

"Man...I thought guns were supposed to kill things faster..." Zia muttered to herself as she frowned at the Musket. "Then again, those Eater things are tougher than they look...can I just make that Eye thing so I can leave? Is that so much to ask?"

Zia looked around anxiously, hoping to see at least one Demon Eye amongst all the gray monsters. She added to the area, taking a seat to rest, "Seriously, the one time I'm actually _hoping_ to get attacked by an eyeball..."

Another shadow passed over her, and the girl believed it was just another Eater...but then she noticed the shape and size of the shadow- smaller, rounder. She immediately looked up- there it was, a large Demon Eye with purple tendrils trailing behind it. Zia had no way of knowing if it had Lens or not, but only one way to find out!

"Hey, I'm down here moron!" Zia shouted at the eye, readying her firearm. She realized it was probably a bad idea to insult a monster, but what better way to get its attention? Clearly, it worked- the eye monster turned its attention to her and quickly descended towards the fighter. Due to the Eye's rather straight movement path, it was easy for Zia to take aim and shoot at the Demon Eye. Like before, it didn't take many shots for the monster to die. As pieces of its ocular body fell to the ground, the adventurer looked around for the item she was looking for. Copper coin, another copper coin...

"YES!" Zia shouted, jumping to grab the falling item. Indeed, it was a sixth and final Lens at last. She now finally had all six Lenses needed to make another Suspicious-Looking Eye! Zia was so relieved, she couldn't wait to-

"GYAH!" Zia cried as a Devourer suddenly emerged from the ground and threw her into the air while she was distracted. She landed next to a tree, face-first with a resounding _splat._ As she picked herself up, Zia made a mental note to herself to celebrate after she was out of the monster-infested wasteland. Before the worm monster could attack a second time, the girl immediately sped towards the chasm she had went into last time, using her Torch to light the way.

* * *

"AAH-" _Splash!_ Zia dropped into the same shallow pool of murky water from before, rubbing her head as she sat up. "...Maybe I should have extended that rope..."

She stood up in the deep darkness of the chasm's bottom, the dreading atmosphere just as foreboding as before. At least Zia didn't have to try too hard to find a Demon Altar- the purple glow emitted by them created a visible contrast to the shadows. The girl immediately headed for the right side of the cave because, if memory served her right, there were a group of four Altars at that end.

Hoping no other enemies popped out of the darkness at her, Zia briskly made her way to the spiked structures. Once she approached one of the Altars, feeling the dark energy radiating off of it, she pulled out the six Lenses she had...then frowned. "Wait...how do I actually _use_ this...?"

Zia reexamined the Altar. It was definitely like a table, the spikes bordering a flat space where one would presumably place items. After putting down the materials, though...what then?

"..." Zia sighed. Well, she supposed she should at least place the Lenses on the Altar, then see what would happen next. A good place to start, right? So, she set all the objects onto the glowing surface, unsure of what would result. She wouldn't have to wait long, however...as soon as the sixth Lens was added to the pile, something did in fact happen. The materials were immediately enveloped in the same purple glow of the Altar, and Zia instinctively stepped back.

The glow intensified somewhat as the six Lenses were drawn to one another into the center of the Altar, fusing together in another burst of shadowy light. When all was done, something levitated above the platform, a few particles of purplish energy dripping off of it. As if beckoned by it, Zia cautiously approached. She quickly realized what it was that had been created- a Suspicious-Looking Eye, identical to the one she had found in the underground Chest.

The girl didn't hesitate to grab this last item she needed, even looking it over for a few moments. Indeed, the last item she needed to summon the Eye of Cthulhu once more was right here in her hands. She had done it, finally- all that was left was to go home...and well, actually start on the arena, but Zia was content with this little victory here in the Corruption.

Before any creatures could appear to ruin her moment, Zia immediately made her way away from the Altars, intent for home.

* * *

 **A/N: Heeeey, this be a long one! And the end result- Zia made a new Eye! ...Exciting, I know. I also think I know what you're thinking: "X, you fool! You kept your readers waiting for all these months just for a filler chapter!? Have you no shame!?" Well that I say- thank you for continuing to care about this story! Two- you'll see, I have plan to make the wait worth it, you'll see! Just stay tuned! And save your reviews for a bit!**


	15. Round Two

**A/N: BOOM! THIS IS WHAT I MEANT! TWO CHAPTERS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! OR SOMETHING, I DUNNO, I JUST TYPED THAT BECAUSE I WAS THINKING IT AND IT JUST CAME OUT. Anyways! So, yeah, I decided to give you all a second chapter in order to make up for a long lack of updates. That's the reason I asked you all to hold off on reviewing...although I doubt anyone listened. But if you did- thank you for listening! Give yourself a pat on the back or something! You know what, lemme just- *pats listeners on the back***

 **So, I don't think I need to give you all an update on what happened last time. Let's just go!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Round Two**

Zia started working on the arena as soon as morning came. She went to the land on the other side of the lake to the east, where she had to cut down the trees in the area in order to make room for the arena. Following Brett's instructions, she made two columns of Wood blocks, 30 blocks tall each and with 20 blocks of space in between them. She filled the gap with long bridges of Wooden Platforms at 5 block intervals, so she had six rows of platforms in total. Zia also added an extra five blocks to the top of the columns, so she wouldn't fall off the arena by mistake. Lastly, she added a Campfire to each row of Platforms, as well as a few Torches for extra lighting.

Next, she decided to make a few Potions. She had to go back to the desert to find Sand for Glass and then Glass Bottles, then go to the lake to fill them with water. After all that, the girl had enough materials to make one Ironskin and one Regeneration Potion. Zia wished she could make more, but figured those two would be enough to sustain her for the fight.

Zia then visited Frederick to restock on Shurikens.

"You know what? I'll give you a discount on those there Shurikens!" the Merchant had said cheerfully.

"Wow, really?" Zia had asked, very much surprised.

"Sure! I'm a man of respect!" Frederick had replied with a smile...before adding grimly, "For the dead, that is."

Andre had been more supportive when Zia went to buy more Musket Balls. Well- at least he didn't outright say she would die. In fact, he hadn't said much to the girl at all, being in a hurry because of some "date" he had with Kayla in an hour. Oh well, at least she bought what she needed. In fact, Zia was able to smelt three extra Meteor Bars to make 300 Meteor Shots (which, according to Brett, were stronger than regular Musket Balls).

Zia was suited up, had her weapons ready, and the Suspicious-Looking Eye was snug in her pocket, waiting to be used. It was late afternoon by the time she had finished everything, so Zia decided she'd might as well wait in her arena for night to come. She hadn't said anything to the other townspeople as she left- after all, she wasn't going that far, and she was pretty confident in how this rematch would go.

Currently, the girl was lying on her back on the top level of the arena, watching the sky and waiting for the moon to rise. She could faintly hear the sound of Slimes, squishing and squashing against the Wood of the columns. However, it would be impossible for any of them to get past the walls and into the arena itself. As Birds flew overhead and Butterflies peacefully hovered nearby, Zia thought about her strategy. She scrutinized Brett's words, trying to think of anything she had forgotten or needed to improve on.

Zia thought back to her previous battle against the Eye of Cthulhu with a shiver. Such a close brush with death was something she hadn't experienced since the night of the Blood Moon...and before that it was her encounter with the monsters in the Marble Cave. She shook her head- she was many times better equipped now than she was at any of those times. Surely, she had nothing to worry about, right?

 _Don't let arrogance be your downfall._

Zia could hear the echo of Andrew's words in her mind as she thought. That was definitely something he would say to her in this moment, before challenging such a powerful monster. Perhaps he'd add something about making sure she hadn't left anything at home, especially the Suspicious-Looking Eye itself, as well as one last warning to just be careful. Zia smiled sadly- yes, she was certain that was something a Guide/godfather would say in these circumstances. She wished he could be here to say those in person- his voice would be a real comfort to her nerves right now.

 _...Andrew...I'm going to win. Somehow, I'm going to slay this thing tonight._ Zia vowed, sitting up and keeping her gaze to the sky. _No matter what it takes, I will_ not _fail again- I will survive, and be victorious. I promise._

* * *

After a century passed, night descended upon the forest. Zia stood up, cracking her back to remove any cricks that had formed from lying on the hard Wood for so long. She looked to the horizon in order to confirm that it was, in fact, nighttime.

"...Well...it's now or never I guess," Zia muttered to herself, pulling out her two Potions and quickly swallowing both substances. Her earlier confidence was replaced with an anxious heart, but she fought to keep those feelings under wraps. She then pulled out the Suspicious-Looking Eye, and held it for a few moments. Eventually, however, she knew what had to be done. With one last deep breath, Zia held the Eye up to the starry sky. It wriggled to life suddenly, just like the first one had, before this one also flew away into the distance.

Preparing herself for what was to come next, Zia swiftly pulled out her Shurikens. She growled to herself, her eyes scanning the sky to try and find where the Eye of Cthulhu would approach from. It wasn't long before she heard a familiar roar in the distance, followed by a large, round shadow soaring towards her. Zia started shaking, the memory of their last meeting playing in her mind again, but she tried to suppress that as well. As the creature got close enough for the light of the Torches and Campfires to illuminate its body, there was no more time to wait or feel afraid.

The Eye of Cthulhu had awoken! ...Again!

The ocular creature hovered directly and unblinkingly above her, following her every movement. Zia stood in one spot and took the opportunity to hurl her Shurikens directly at the monster's pupil. It didn't take long for the Eye to start fighting back, as it began to fire its little eye Servants at its opponents. Zia grinned and continued to lash out with the sharp throwing stars, the weapons shredding right through the miniature eyeballs and continuing to the Eye itself. After it launched three more Servants at Zia, who were dispatched as quickly as the first, the Eye of Cthulhu changed tactics and charged straight at the fighter.

"Hyah!" Zia shouted as she dove out of the way, the Eye missing her completely. It turned around before hitting the ground and charged at her again, but she once again jumped clear of its spherical body and threw a few Shurikens for good measure, most of which ended up embedded in the wall of the arena. The Eye of Cthulhu turned to gaze at Zia one more time before speeding towards her. Due to its nearly horizontal path, the girl had to drop down onto a lower layer of Platforms in order to dodge.

Now, the Eye of Cthulhu was flying back into its starting position, staring straight down at Zia. She was more than ready, however, and continued her onslaught with the Shurikens. At the same time, more Servants flew from the mobster and charged towards Zia, only to meet their end at the edges of the throwing weapons. She threw more at the Eye of Cthulhu while it was still above her- the creature didn't flinch as the Shurikens pierced its body, and the only indication that they were having any effect was the blood briefly spurting out of the spots where the Shurikens hit.

The Eye charged again. Zia had no trouble jumping out of the way of the body, throwing more Shurikens for good measure. She couldn't help but think about how much easier dodging the Eye was now that she didn't have to worry about other monsters impeding her. If any Zombies were in the area, they would be blocked by the walls of the arena, and no amount of jumping would help them. Zia also didn't see any Demon Eyes out tonight...not that that was a bad thing- the less things that could get into the arena, the better.

While she was pondering all this, Zia neglected to watch the Eye of Cthulhu's movements, causing her to be struck at full force. She was thrown back, hitting the wooden floor with a thump. Luckily, her strong Meteor Armor absorbed the majority of the impact, and the effects of the Ironskin Potion further negated the damage. Zia jumped right back into her feet and threw more Shurikens at the Eye as it flew back up to its hovering phase. The adventurer narrowed her eyes and pulled out her Musket- she was saving this for the Eye's second form, but it had to be getting close by this point.

Zia immediately opened fire, the Meteor Shots creating a pinkish-red light in the night as they sped towards the nocturnal monster. The Eye of Cthulhu's Servants fell quickly to the bullets, and the Eye itself took many of these shots itself. Just like with the Shurikens, it didn't react to being hit, but there was no doubt damage was being done. After a few more Meteor Shots pierced its body, the Eye of Cthulhu roared and started thrashing around, just like it had done during the last battle.

Zia gulped, her eyes widening in anxiety as the monster started to transform. She shook her head, though, and turned her angry gaze back to the Eye. _Zia, don't you DARE choke up now! You lose, you die!_

With one last terrifying roar, the Eye of Cthulhu shed its pupil and opened its massive maw of razor-sharp fangs. It then screeched at Zia and flew straight for her. With a determined battle cry, Zia opened fire into the monster's open jaws. The beast was too busy charging to react to the damage being done. The girl dove down onto another level of Platforms to avoid another charge, then spun around to shoot again. The Eye, likewise, turned around in midair and sped towards its foe once more. This time, Zia barely managed to jump up onto the level above her in order to dodge.

The Eye of Cthulhu roared as it was shot at again before flying at Zia once more. The girl tried rolling beneath the monster as an evasive move, but its large body nicked her back and caused Zia to be knocked back. Before she could stand again, the Eye of Cthulhu swiftly turned and grabbed the adventurer by the legs in its teeth, dragging her into the air.

"GAH- NO!" Zia shouted, taking aim as best as she could at the Eye's body. "I DID _NOT_ COME THIS FAR TO BE YOUR DINNER!"

With that cry, Zia quickly fired upon the Eye's back, trying to free herself from its maw. After a few Meteor Shots, it worked, the monster roared in pain, loosening its grip just enough for Zia to kick herself free and to fall back down into the arena. The Eye of Cthulhu wasn't down yet, however- with one last ghastly screech, it charged straight down towards Zia for one last strike. The girl growled softly and sent one more barrage of Meteor Shots at the monster while its mouth was open. One, two, three- oh, who was keeping track of all these bullets being shot?

Just as the Eye was right above her, and Zia fired one last shot at it, something new happened. The Eye of Cthulhu let out one last echoing cry before it seemed to practically explode. Its ocular body split in two, other chunks of its body falling to the ground with the others. Zia barely had time to register what had just happened, let alone examine the rest of the items falling around her- several Lesser Healing Potions, pieces of some kind of indigo stone, a dozen bluish-violet Arrows, and some small seeds of the same color.

"...!" Once the shock of what happened wore off, reality hit like a boulder to the face. The Eye of Cthulhu...had been defeated. The Eye of Cthulhu had been defeated.

The Eye of Cthulhu had been defeated!

"Hehe...hehe! Hahaha!" Zia laughed, all her fears regarding the battle being released in her laughter. "I actually did it! I'm alive, I won! YEAH!"

Her cheerful celebration echoed into the midnight landscape, the monsters in the area not reacting. Then, Zia got another idea. She turned to the remains of the Eye, then took out her Broadsword. With one swing, she lopped off one of the creature's yellow fangs, the root still wet with blood. It would certainly make a great trophy, and would provide proof of her victory on this night.

With the battle won, Zia climbed over the side of the arena and gleefully hopped down to the ground. She was too happy to realize how high off the ground she was- until she faceplanted into the dirt. Even then, her sheer joy prevented her from registering the pain. Zia stood right up, and proceeded to speed home, regardless of any monsters in her path.

* * *

 **A/N: And with that, the first boss, the EoC, has fallen! And Zia is feeling very good about herself for once, so that's a bonus! Now, what's next for our young hero? Well, you'll just have to read the next chapter to find out! When will that be? Who knows- hopefully it won't be too long, but you never know. If updates take a while, they'll probably be for the same reasons I listed last chapter. But don't worry- I'm not abandoning this story. No matter how long it takes, I will finish this!**

 **So, I'll see you all in the next chapter! Reviews are appreciated- seriously, it's been a while and I feel like my writing wasn't as strong in these chapters, so let me know if that's true or just me being insecure. And don't forget to check out that story I recommended! It's a good one, trust me!**


End file.
